lesson 4

How did merchants become the most wealthy and powerful citizens of towns?

With the growth of trade and commerce, merchants grew increasingly powerful and wealthy. They ran sizable businesses and looked for trading opportunities far from home. Merchant guilds came to dominate the business life of towns and cities. In towns that had become independent, members of merchant guilds often sat on town councils or were elected mayor.

Common Law

a body of rulings made by judges or very old traditional laws that become part of a nation's legal system]

apprentice

a person who work for a master in a trade or craft in return for trainning

charter

a written grant or right and privileges by a ruler or government to a community, class of people, or organization

residents

someone who lives in a place

dominate

to have control or power over something

Describe two methods for deciding the guilt or innocence of accused criminals in the Early Middle Age

trial by ordeal or combat was often used to establish an accused person's guilt or innocence. In a trial by ordeal, the accused had to pass a dangerous test, such as being thrown into a deep well. In a trial by combat, the accused person had to fight to prove his or her innocence. People believed that God would ensure the right party won. Clergy, women, children, and disabled people could name a champion to fight on their behalf.

What was difficult about childhood in a medieval town?

About half of all children died before they became adults, and those who did survive began preparing for their adult roles around the age of seven. Some boys and a few girls attended school, where they learned to read and write. Children from wealthier families might learn to paint and to play music on a lute (a stringed instrument). Other children soon began work as apprentices.

What were some leisure activities enjoyed by adults in medieval Europe?

Adults also liked games, such as chess, checkers, and backgammon. They might gather to play card games, go dancing, or enjoy other social activities.

How did trade change from the beginning of the Middle Ages to the High Middle Ages?

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, most trade was in luxury goods, which only the wealthy could afford. People made everyday necessities for themselves. By the High Middle Ages, more local people were buying and selling more kinds of products, including everyday goods like food, clothing, and household items. Different towns also began specializing in producing certain goods, such as woolen cloth, glass, and silk.

What were some popular children's games in medieval Europe?

Children played with dolls and toys, such as wooden swords, balls, and hobbyhorses. They rolled hoops and played games like badminton, lawn bowling, and blind man's bluff.

What were some common diseases in medieval Europe?

Common diseases for which there was no cure at this time included measles, cholera, smallpox, and scarlet fever. The most feared disease was bubonic plague, known as the Black Death.

What was the difference between a mystery play and a miracle play?

Guilds also staged mystery plays in which they acted out Bible stories. Mystery plays gave rise to another type of religious drama, the miracle play. These plays dramatized the lives of saints, often showing the saints performing miracles, or wonders.

What changes to the court system helped protect individual rights in the early 1100s in England?

In England, kings in the early 1100s began creating a nationwide system of royal courts. The decisions of royal judges contributed to a growing body of common law. Along with an independent judiciary, or court system, English common law would become an important safeguard of individual rights. Throughout Europe, court trials based on written and oral evidence eventually replaced trials by ordeal or combat.

What were some common practices or treatments used by medieval doctors?

Medieval doctors believed in a combination of prayer and medical treatment, many involving herbs. Using herbs as medicine had a long history based on traditional folk wisdom and knowledge handed down from ancient Greece and Rome. Other treatments were based on less scientific methods. For example, medieval doctors sometimes consulted the positions of the planets and relied on magic charms to heal people. Another common technique was to "bleed" patients by opening a vein or applying leeches (a type of worm) to the skin to suck out blood. Medieval doctors believed that this "bloodletting" helped restore balance to the body and spirit. Unfortunately, such treatments often weakened a patient further.

Describe the typical home in a medieval town.

Medieval towns were typically small and crowded. They were narrow and could be up to four stories high. Most of the houses were made of wood, and they tended to lean over time. Sometimes two facing houses would lean so much, they touched across the street!

What were some ways in which criminals were punished in medieval Europe?

Punishments for crimes were very harsh. For lesser crimes, people were fined or put in the stocks (a wooden frame with holes for the person's arms and sometimes legs). Being left in the stocks publicly for hours or days was both painful and humiliating. People found guilty of crimes, such as highway robbery, stealing livestock, treason, or murder, could be hanged or burned at the stake. Executions were carried out in public, often in front of large crowds

How were the lives of medieval girls different from those of modern girls?

Some girls trained for a craft, but most married young, usually around the age of 15, and were soon raising children of their own. For many girls, their education was at home, where they learned cooking, cloth making, and other skills necessary to care for a home and family.now modern girl usually get married in the mid 20 most of all modern girls go to public ir private school and many do not really know how to cook

How did guilds help their members and the families of their members?

The members of the guild paid dues and used the money to take care of members and their families who were sick and unable to work.

What contributed to the growth of towns in medieval Europe?

The surplus or crops and the revival of trade

ist at least three different conditions in medieval towns that led to the spread of disease.

There was no running water in homes, and instead of bathrooms, people used outdoor privies (shelters used as toilets) or chamber pots that they emptied into nearby streams and canals. Garbage, too, was tossed into streams and canals or onto the streets. People lived crowded together in small spaces and usually bathed only once a week, if that. Rats and fleas were common and often carried diseases. It's no wonder people were frequently ill.

What were guilds? Why were they established?

an organization of people in the same craft or trade] . There were two main kinds of guilds: merchant guilds and craft guilds. They provided help and protection for the people doing a certain kind of work, and they maintained high standards. Guilds controlled the hours of work and set prices. They also handled complaints from the public.

guilds

an organization of people with the same craft or trade

How was a town able to become independent of a feudal lord

by purchasing a royal charter, which granted them the right to govern themselves, make laws, and raise taxes

How were Jews often mistreated in medieval Europe? What opportunity was open to them?

in Christian Europe, they often faced deep prejudice. The hostility of Christians, sometimes backed up by laws, made it difficult for Jews to earn their living. They were not allowed to own land, and their lords sometimes took their property and belongings at will. Jews could also be the targets of violence.

surplus

more than needed or used

Where were towns in medieval Europe often located, and why?

near a water ways and land routes

isolate

set apart from other people or things] houses, usually far from towns.