Medieval+Country+Life

=Medieval Life  = ===**Peasants that lived on a manor by the castle were assigned strips of land to plant and harvest. Each peasant family had its own strips of land in various areas of the manor. However, the peasants worked cooperatively on tasks such as plowing and haying. In exchange for the use of the land, the peasants had to turn over to the noble, or lord of the manor, a portion of what they produced. They were also expected to build roads, clear forests, and do any other work the lord ordered. The peasant’s men, women, and children worked hard from sunrise to sunset. The peasants were illiterate and uneducated and the manor was usually the limit of their life experience. Some peasants were freemen who rented land from the lord or worked for pay. Peasants often grew rye, oats, peas and barley. When they went to harvest their crops they would have to harvest it with a scythe, sickle, or reaper.** ===

===**Comfort was not always found, even in the rich houses. Heating was always a problem with stone floors, ceilings and walls. Not much light came in from small windows, and oil and fat-based candles often produced a pungent aroma. Furniture consisted of wooden benches, long tables, cupboards and pantries. Linen, when able to afford, could be glued or nailed to benches to provide some comfort. Beds, though made of the softest materials, were often full with bedbugs, lice and other biting insects. Some tried to counter this by tucking in sheets at nighttime in hopes of smothering the pests, while others rubbed oily liniments on their skin before sleeping.** ===

===**The Catholic Church had many holidays. On these holidays, peasants had feasts, sometimes provided** **by the lord of the nearby manor, and socialized with their neighbors. They danced, sang songs, and usually had a good time. Peasants also celebrated the birth and baptism of a new child, marriages of family members, and other important events.** ===

Black - Quinton, Austin R,Jesse
** 60% of [| Peasants] ** ** were villagers or serfs who were rarely allowed to leave the manor without the lord’s permission. When they did travel, they usually only went as far as the neighboring town. In Medieval Europe around 90% of the population lived in agricultural communities and farming was their full time job. The Lords Manor consisted of a village, the Lords house, the church and the surrounding farmland. The lord enlisted the help of few individuals who would make sure the villagers were doing their jobs. The Lord also acted as a judge in the manor court and would punish those who broke the law. ** The Reeve planned all work that was to be done on the manor. The Reeve is the Lords right hand man and the peasants’ spokesman.

The peasants day was lived out according to the natural cycle. They got up at dawn and went to bed at dusk. Peasants had to pay a fine to marry outside of his manor. ** Peasants usually ate warm porridges made of wheat, oats and barley. Broths, stews, vegetables and bread were also part of a peasants diet. Peasants rarely ate meat and when they did, it was their own animals that were saved for the winter. Very poor people would often hunt on common land, however if they were caught on poachers land, punishment was surely inflicted. **** All food must be cooked over a fire. **

** Peasants drank wines and ales, never water. Ale was the most common drink, but it was not as strong as other alcoholic beverages. Ale was think and weak and was consumed almost immediately after brewing. Ales had little effect on sobriety. Fruit juices and honey were the only sweeteners as spices were very uncommon. **

Peasants mostly wore clothing made from rough wool or linen. The peasant women would spin wool into clothing for the entire family or household. Peasants generally only had one or two sets of clothing. The outer layer of clothing is almost never washed however the under garments are washed almost daily. The clothes they wore were usually a dull red-brown color. **
 * Living conditions were severe because the whole family would have one room for sleeping, eating and for spending their free time. The only source of light was made from animal fat that was used as a sort of fuel for a lantern. The inside was very dark and consisted of a fireplace and basic furniture. **


 * In medieval Europe the youngest stages of life were usually the most dangerous. 20% of women died in childbirth while 5% of newborn babies were born and died instantly. 10-12 % of children died within the first month of birth. If a Mother and baby both survived, the baby would be bathed in semi-warm water and wrapped in cotton or wool several days after the birth if the baby survived and immediately after if the baby died. **

** ---picture--- Kennedy, Shayna and Josh ** Peasant girls can marry at the age of 12, and peasant boys can marry at 14 the groom was always much older than the bride. It was the parents Decisions not the peasant girl and boys. The couple that was due to be married didn’t have a big wedding. The ceremony differed from place to place in the early part of the middle ages. The church wasn’t involved they usually got married at home, with several witnesses.

The man was in charge of the household, and the wife was legally his properly. A man was aloud and expected to beat his wife as long as she lived through it. Husbands had complete control with the wife and the family’s belongings. The husband had the last say in all discussions and or arguments although many men asked advice from their wives. Women were not allowed to divorce their husbands but men where allowed to divorce their wives the most popular reason was adultery on the mans part.

Peasants had many days they did work but they also had holidays and they never worked on Sundays because they would attend a church service and they had holidays that were strictly kept by the church. The Landlord at that time was required to protect all the people in his home and who worked his land. • The peasants had very few tools and some of the tools that they had were Plough, scythe, a spade, a hoe, large shears, a knife and a sharpening stone, a wagon with harness for several horses.


 * Dark Blue- Josh A, Shayna and Kenned **