Download Middle Age Documents - Richmond County Schools

Document 1: The Merovingians: 5th - 8th century AD
The Franks provide the dynasty which can be seen as the first royal house of France. From them, in origin one of the Germanic
tribes, the word France derives. The dynasty itself is called Merovingian, from Merovech - a leader of the tribe in the mid-5th
century of whom nothing is known but his name.
The fortunes of the Franks begin with his grandson, Clovis. When Clovis inherits the crown, in about 481, he is only fifteen.
The tribe's capital is then at Tournai, in what is now southern Belgium.
The reign of Clovis is a turning point in European history on two counts: his establishment of the first great barbarian kingdom
north of the Alps; and his adoption of Roman Catholic Christianity, when the other barbarian rulers in Gaul are at this time all
Arians (see the Spread of Arianism).
Clovis extends his power from the Somme down to the Loire by using an unscrupulous blend of warfare, intrigue and murder to
assert his authority over other Frankish tribes in the region. He then successfully demands tribute from the Burgundians in the
southeast and, more significantly, drives the Visigoths from the southwest. By 507 the whole of France, except a narrow strip
along the Mediterranean, is his acknowledged realm.
In achieving this territorial success, Clovis has been much helped by his acceptance of the Roman version of Christianity.
Many Christians in Gaul, loyal to Rome, accept him as a liberator from the Arian Visigoths.
His conversion follows a classic Christian pattern, involving a victory in battle (as with Constantine) and an already pious wife
(as with Ethelbert of Kent). Clovis marries a Burgundian princess, Clotilda, who unlike the rest of her people is a Catholic. Her
efforts to convert her powerful pagan husband bear fruit once he believes that Jesus has helped him defeat a rival Germanic
tribe, the Alemannia, who have recently moved west across the Rhine into Alsace.
Clovis's victory over the Alamanni, taking place at some time between 495 and 506, is followed by a scene of mass baptism. A
faith good enough for the king must be good for the army too. At Reims the bishop baptizes Clovis and some 3000 of his
soldiers.
Clovis makes his capital in Paris, where he commissions the writing of the ancient pre-Christian code of law of the Salian
Franks. His Frankish kingdom will lapse for a while into chaos; Paris will not immediately retain its central status; and only
parts of the Salic Law will later be followed. But the kingdom of Clovis is unmistakably a new departure of great significance
for northern Europe and for France.
Austrasia, Neustria and Burgundy: 6th - 7th century AD
After the death of Clovis, in 511, his territories are divided between his four sons. In the long term this form of equal
inheritance will weaken the Merovingian realm, but for the moment expansion continues. The rich and important territory of
Burgundy, formerly a tribute payer, is annexed as part of the Frankish kingdom in 534.
Gradually three separate kingdoms emerge within the wider Frankish realm. The original tribal territory, approximating to
modern Belgium and northeast France, becomes known as Austrasia. The lands acquired by Clovis in central France are called
Neustria (neu meaning 'new'). And Burgundy retains its own identity.
For more than two centuries after the death of Clovis these kingdoms are at least nominally ruled by his descendants, in varying
combinations (Neustria and Burgundy often go together). Occasionally rulers are strong enough to unite the whole realm under
central control - Clotaire II and his son Dagobert I are the most notable examples, from 613 to 639.
After the death of Dagobert the Frankish kings gradually lose power to their own lieutenants, in a pattern similar to what is
happening at this same time in Japan (the process leading there to rule by shoguns). The Frankish equivalent of the shogun is
the mayor of the palace.
Source: Gascoigne, Bamber. “History of The Merovingians” HistoryWorld. From 2001, ongoing.
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=1764&HistoryID=ab50
Document 2: Mayors of the palace: 7th - 8th century
In the Roman empire large households were run by an official known as major domus('mayor of the house'), from whom we derive our
major-domo. The Frankish kings adapt this system, calling their chief administrative officer major palatii, the mayor of the palace.
Administrators of this kind always tend to enlarge their own fief. The mayors of the palace gradually add to their domestic duties the
roles of tutor to royal princes, adviser to the king on matters of policy and eventually even commander of the royal army. From the
mid-7th century the usual conflict between Austrasia, Neustria and Burgundy evolves into a power struggle and outright warfare
between the mayors of the respective palaces.
In 687, for the first time, one mayor controls all three kingdoms. He is Pepin II, who fights his way to this pre-eminence after becoming
mayor of the palace in Austrasia in 679. His rule can be seen, with hindsight, as the start of a new royal dynasty. But the turmoil
following his death in 714 makes this seem, at the time, improbable.
Pepin's only male descendants at his death are legitimate grandsons and an illegitimate son, Charles. Civil war results, by 727, in
victory for Charles. His military prowess brings him the title Charles Martel ('the Hammer'). And from his Christian name (Carolusin
Latin) his descendants become known to history as the Carolingians.
Source: Gascoigne, Bamber. “History of Mayor of the Palace” HistoryWorld. From 2001, ongoing.
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=1764&HistoryID=ab50
Document 3: Charles Martel: 727-741
After asserting his rule over the traditional territories of the Frankish realm, Charles wages long campaigns against the pagan Germanic
tribes who constantly raid his northern and eastern borders - Frisians, Saxons and Bavarians. (He also lends strong support to the
missionary activities of St Boniface, hoping that conversion to Christianity will tame the heathens). Barbarians on these frontiers have
been a constant threat for centuries to settled Gaul. But in recent decades there has also been a new and powerful group of intruders
pressing in from the south - the Arabs in Spain.
They have advanced rapidly northwards through Spain in the few years since their arrival in 711. They are soon beyond the Pyrenees.
Narbonne is taken in 720. An extended raid in 725 brings the Arabs briefly into Burgundy. There is then a lull until 732, when a
Muslim army takes Bordeaux, destroys a church near Poitiers and rides on towards Tours. Here the Arabs are confronted by an army of
Franks led by Charles Martel.
It is not known precisely where the battle (known either as Poitiers or Tours) takes place, but it is won by the Franks. It marks the end,
in the west, of the apparently inexorable advance of the Arabs. A few years later they withdraw to Spain and never again threaten Gaul.
It is a significant turning point. Even so, an uprising by the Berbersof mercenaries in Spain in 741 causes the eventual Arab retreat
from Gaul, rather than this one defeat on the battlefield.
The turning back of the Muslims is what assures Charles Martel his place in popular history. But his family's supplanting of the
Merovingian rulers is an achievement of equal significance.
Charles himself maintains the fiction of Merovingian power. At first his son Pepin III (also known as Pepin the Short) does the same.
He appoints a new puppet king, Childeric III, in 743. But in 751 he decides to replace him on the throne himself. Before doing so he
secures the approval of the pope. Such direct involvement in the dynastic politics of Europe is a significant departure for the papacy.
Source: Gascoigne, Bamber. “History of Charles Martel” HistoryWorld. From 2001, ongoing.
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?groupid=1764&HistoryID=ab50
Document 4: Charlemagne
Synopsis: Charlemagne, also known as Charles I and Charles the Great, was born around 742 A.D. Crowned King of the Franks in 768,
Charlemagne expanded the Frankish kingdom. The Franks were a group of tribes in Northern Europe. Eventually, he established the
Carolingian Empire. The Carolingian Empire represents the earliest stages of what would become France and Germany. He was crowned
emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 800. Charlemagne's empire united Western Europe for the first time since the fall of the Western
Roman Empire 300 years before. His empire sparked a period of increased writing, art and the rule of law.
Early Years
Charlemagne was born around 742, the son of Bertrada of Laon and Pepin the Short. His father Pepin became king of the Franks in 751.
Charlemagne’s exact birthplace is unknown. Historians believe he was born in a town near the border of what are today Belgium and
Germany. He may have been born in Aachen, Germany, which would become the Northern capital of his empire.
Similarly, little is known about the future ruler’s childhood and education. As an adult, he displayed a talent for languages. He could
speak Latin and understand Greek, among other languages. After Pepin’s death in 768, the Frankish kingdom was divided between
Charlemagne and his younger brother, Carloman (751-771). The brothers had a strained relationship. When Carloman died, Charlemagne
became the sole ruler of the Franconians.
An Empire Expands
Once in power, Charlemagne sought to unite all the Germanic peoples into one kingdom, and convert his subjects to Christianity. To
carry out this mission, he spent the majority of his reign engaged in military campaigns. Soon after becoming king, he conquered what is
now northern Italy, Austria and Hungary. Charlemagne waged a bloody, 30-year war against the Saxons, a Germanic tribe. They were
pagans, and worshiped many gods and had sacred rituals and objects. Charlemagne earned a reputation for ruthlessness. Reportedly,
Charlemagne ordered the killing of some 4,500 Saxons in a single battle. He declared that anyone who did not practice Christianity be
put to death.
Family Life
In his personal life, Charlemagne had several wives. He had perhaps as many as 18 children. He encouraged his children’s education. It is
said that he loved his daughters so much that he kept them from marrying while he was alive.
Einhard (c. 775-840), a Frankish scholar living during Charlemagne's reign, described Charlemagne as "impressive whether he was
sitting or standing, despite having a neck that was fat and too short, and a large belly.”
Charlemagne as Emperor
In his role as a passionate defender of Christianity, Charlemagne gave money and land to the Christian church and protected the popes.
Pope Leo III returned the favor when he crowned Charlemagne first emperor of the Romans and what was later called the Holy Roman
Empire at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
As emperor, Charlemagne proved to be a talented diplomat and able administrator of the vast area he controlled. He promoted education
and encouraged scholarship and culture. He instituted economic and religious reforms. Charlemagne was a driving force behind a
standardized form of writing that later became a basis for modern European printed alphabets.
Charlemagne ruled from a number of cities and palaces, but spent significant time near where he was born, in Aachen, a town in presentday Germany. His palace there included a school, for which he recruited the best teachers in the land. In addition to learning,
Charlemagne was interested in athletics. Known to be highly energetic, he enjoyed hunting, horseback riding and swimming.
Death and Succession
According to Einhard, Charlemagne was in good health until the final four years of his life. During this time, he often suffered from
fevers and acquired a limp. “He followed his own counsel rather than the advice of the doctors, whom he very nearly hated," Einhard
noted. "They advised him to give up roasted meat, which he loved, and to restrict himself to boiled meat instead.”
In 813, Charlemagne crowned his son Louis the Pious (778-840) as co-emperor. Louis became sole emperor when Charlemagne died in
January 814. At the time of his death, his empire encompassed much of Western Europe.
Charlemagne was buried in the cathedral in Aachen. In the ensuing years, his empire was divided up among his heirs. By the late 800s, it
had dissolved. Still, Charlemagne became a legendary figure who people saw as having mythical qualities. In 1165, under Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa (1122-1190), Charlemagne was canonized as a saint. Today, the church does not recognize his sainthood.
Source: N.A. (2016). World Leaders: Charlemagne; Biography.com and A&E Networks by Newsela. Retrieved from Newsela.com
Document 5: Code of Chivalry
Europe in the Middle Ages was a dangerous place. Invasions from Muslims, Mongols, and other tribal groups were
common. War between lords was common. The value of protection and warriors created a social code called Chivalry.
Knights fought for lords and ladies and lived by a gentleman-warrior code of Chivalry. The painting below depicts the
Medeival knights.
Source: http://www.the-dogs-of-war.com/Crusades1.jpg
Document 6: Excerpt Easter Regulations.
From the holy day of the Resurrections of Christ until New Sunday, the faithful are to frequent the holy Churches without
ceasing during the entire week, with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Rejoicing in Christ and celebrating, listening to
the reading of Holy Scripture and delighting in the Holy Mysteries; for thus shall we arise and be exalted together with
Christ.
In no wise, then ought horse-races or public spectacles to be performed during the aforesaid days.
Source: Easter Regulations, from a church canon passed in AD 692
Document 7: “Dictatus Papae”
That the Roman pontiff alone can with right be called universal.
That he alone can depose or reinstate bishops…
That for him alone is it I lawful, according to the needs of the time, to make new laws, top assemble together new
congregations, to make an abbey of a canonary….
That of the pope alone at princes shall kiss the feet…
That it may be permitted o him to dispose the emperors.
Source:”Dictatus Papae”, Dictates of the Pope, 1075
Document 8: Excerpt from: A church council calls for the observance of the Truce of God, 1083.
…That from the first day of the Advent of our Lord through Epiphany…and throughout the year on every Sunday, Friday,
Saturday, and on the first days of the four seasons…this decree of peace shall be observed…so that no one may commit
murder, arson, robbery, or assault, no one may injure another with a sword, club, or any kind of weapon…On every day set
aside, or to be set aside, for fasts or feasts, arms may be carried, but on this condition, that no jury shall be done in any way
to any one…If it shall happen that any castle is besieged during the days which are included with the peace, the besieger
shall cease from attack unless they are set upon by the besieged and compelled to beat the latter back...
Source: A church council calls for the observance of the Truce of God, 1083.
Document 9: excerpt: Feudalism.
Feudalism was a political, economic, and social system in which nobles were granted the use of land that legally belonged
to the king. In return, the nobles agreed to give their loyalty and military services to the king. The peasants or serfs worked
the land for the knights and nobles and in return they received protection and a portion of the harvest to feed their families.
The image below shows the structure of feudal society – a social, political, and economic hierarchy.
Source: World History Patterns of Interaction.
Document 10: Excerpt from the Homage Oath taken by John Toul.
I, John of Toul, make known that I am the liege man of the (Count and countess of Champagne)….I will aid the count of
Champagne in my own person, and will send to the count and countess of Champagne the knights whose service I owe to
them for the fief which I hold of them…
Source: Toul, John. Homage oath. Retrieved from
https://d39smchmfovhlz.cloudfront.net/l3eii3jPGyWOzicpBCgNGFkvPu7F1P3zkZG0gZJW9LRBU88Q.pdf
Document 11: Excerpt from the Monastic Vows of Brother Gerald.
I hereby renounce my parents, my brothers and relatives, my friends, my possessions…and the vain and empty glory and
pleasure of this world. I also renouncemy own will, for the will of God. I accept all the hardships of the monastic life, and
take the vows of purity, chastity, and poverty, in the hope of heaven; and I promise to remain a monk in this monastery all
the days of my life.
Noonan, T. (1999). Document-based assessment activities for global history classes. Walch:Portland, Maine.
Document 12: Excerpt from the manorial system.
The manor was the economic side of feudalism. The manor was a largely self-sufficient system in which the lord’s land
(granted by the king) was farmed by his serfs (essentially slaves bound to the land). The manor included not just farmers,
but also artisans who provided for the needs of the manor, a chapel, forest for hunting, and pastureland for farm animals.
The two images below show the physical layout of the manor system.
For the majority of Europeans, life was hard. Serfs, or peasants obligated to work the lord’s land, had no freedoms. In
return for laboring 6 days out of the week, they were granted only one day a week to farm to feed themselves and their
families. They also had to pay high rents to the lord’s to use his land. There was no alternative, since peasants needed the
lord’s protection from raiding invaders.
Source: World History Patterns of Interaction, and http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/lecture_mid_civ.htm
Source: Piers Plowman, in World History Patterns of Interaction Literature Section.
Document 13: The role of the Church.
The role of the Church was very large in Medieval Europe. More than any other institution, it unified Europeans and gave
every person a sense of how the world worked. Since political leaders only had local power, the Church was the most
powerful institution. This secondary source describes the multiple roles the Church played in the Middle Ages.
In a time of great political chaos, the Roman Catholic Church was the single, largest unifying structure in medieval Europe.
It touched everyone's life, no matter what their rank or class or where they lived. With the exception of a small number of
Jews, everyone in Europe was a Christian during the Middle Ages from the richest king down to the lowest serf.
From the moment of its baptism a few days after birth, a child entered into a life of service to God and God's Church. As a
child grew, it would be taught basic prayers, would go to church every week barring illness, and would learn of its
responsibilities to the Church. Every person was required to live by the Church's laws and to pay heavy taxes to support the
Church. In return for this, they were shown the way to everlasting life and happiness after lives that were often short and
hard.
In addition to collecting taxes, the Church also accepted gifts of all kinds from individuals who wanted special favors or
wanted to be certain of a place in heaven. These gifts included land, flocks, crops, and even serfs. This allowed the Church
to become very powerful, and it often used this power to influence kings to do as it wanted
Source: http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/middleages/church.html
Document 14: Piers Plowman
For the majority of Europeans, life was hard. Serfs, or peasants obligated to work the lord’s land, had no freedoms. Serfs
worked for six days of the week and received one day to farm and collect food for their own families, and were also
expected to pay rent to their lords to use their land. In return for their labor, the serfs could depend on their lord for
housing, food, and protection from raiding invaders. Piers Plowman is an English poem written by a London priest,
William Langland, in 1362. He spent many years working in rural areas and learned firsthand about peasant life.
The Peasant’s Cares The most needy are our neighbors, if we notice right well,
As prisoners in pits and poor folk in cottages,
Charged with their children, and chief lord’s rent,
What by spinning they save, they spend it in house-hire,
Both in milk and in meal to make a mess of porridge.
To cheer up their children who chafe for their food,
And they themselves suffer surely much hunger
And woe in the winter, with waking at nights
And rising to rock an oft restless cradle,
Both to card and to comb, to clout and to wash,
To rub and to reel yarn, rushes to peel,
So ‘tis pity to proclaim or in poetry to show
The woe of these women who would in such cottages;
And of many other men who much woe suffer
Crippled with hunger and with thirst, they keep up appearances
And are abashed for to beg, and will not be blazoned
What they need from their neighbours, at noon at and at evensong
This I know full well, for the world has taught me
How churls are afflicted who have many children,
And have no coin but their craft to clothe and to keep them
Source: Piers Plowman, in World History Patterns of Interaction Literature Section
Document 15: The Peasants World.
There were two kinds of peasants on a manor: serfs and freeman. Serfs were legally tied to the land. They could
not leave it without the noble’s permission. When a manor changed owners, they went along with the property. On the
other hand, they could not be evicted. In contrast, freeman were able to move whenever they wished. But they could be
through off the estate without warning.
Whether freeman or serf, a peasant’s life was very hard. Peasants worked from sunrise to sunset, and generally
died at about the age of thirty. In addition to farming the noble’s lands, they had to give the noble a share of whatever they
grew on their own land. They had to pay to use noble’s grain mill, and baking oven in order to make bread. They had to
pay for the use of the noble’s wine press. Then there were special taxes, too. At any time, peasants might be called to clean
the castle moat, or bring in firewood, or help fix the fortifications, or cut timber.
A peasant’s house was a small, one-room dwelling with a thatched roof and hard dirt floor. A hole in the roof let
out the smoke from the fire. Near the fire was an enormous bed where all the family slept. Food was simple, It consisted
mostly of oatmeal, black bread, and such vegetables as onions and cabbages in season. Sometimes peasants raised a few
hens or pigs to add to their diet.
The peasant’s world was limited. They could neither read nor write. They rarely met anyone they had not known
from birth. They lived and died without stepping outside the bounds of their manor. They feared the unknown dangers of
the nearby forests, and the robbers that waited to jump on travelers. Besides, there was really no place for a peasant to go.
Yet, life had its brighter moments. Sunday was a day of rest. There were feasts at Christmastime, and singing and
dancing on the numerous saints’ days. Sports such as wrestling, archery, and soccer were popular. Most important of all
were the teachings of the Catholic Church. They proved comfort for the peasants, and promised a life in heaven after
death.
Source: Lender, B. Selzer, E & Berk, B. (1983). A World History: The Human Panormama, p, 159-160
(Chicago Science Research Associates)
Document 16: Code of Chivalry
Europe in the Middle Ages was a dangerous place. Invasions from Muslims, Mongols, and other tribal groups were
common. War between lords was common. The value of protection and warriors created a social code called Chivalry.
Knights fought for lords and ladies and lived by a gentleman-warrior code of chivalry.
Source: http://www.the-dogs-of-war.com/crusades1.jpg
Document 17: Images of Gothic Church showing the power of the Catholic Church.
Noonan, T. (1999). Document-based assessment activities for global history classes. Walch:Portland, Maine.
Document 18: Excerpt an account of the Franks.
As Europeans became more connected to the Silk Roads, cultural diffusion occurred, but conflict occurred, also. Muslims
and Christians clashed over religion and control of trade routes. The Crusades, a series of religious wars for control over
Jerusalem, were fought for hundreds of years. This account is from Usamah-inb-Munqidh, an Arab warrior in the time of the
Crusades. He describes Franks (the French).
Their lack of sense-Mysterious are the works of the Creator, the author of all things! When one comes to recount the
case of the Franks, he cannot but glorify Allah (exalted he is!) and sanctify him, for he sees them as animals possessing the
virtues of courage and fighting, but nothing else; just as animals have only the virtues of strength and carrying loads.
Sources: Usamah-inb-Munqidh,translated by Philip K. Hitti, Princeton University Press.
Document 19: Excerpt Castle Life.
Even in summer, dampness clung to the stone rooms, and the lord and his retinue spent as much time as possible outdoors.
At dawn the watchman atop the donjon blew a blast on his bugle to awaken the castle. After a scanty breakfast of bread and
wine or beer, the nobles attended mass in the castle chapel.
Source: The International History Project (2001). http://history-world.org/castle_life.htm
Document 20: Excerpt Pope Urban II issued a call for a holy crusade
"Although, O sons of God, you have promised more firmly than ever to keep the peace among yourselves and to preserve
the rights of the church, there remains still an important work for you to do. Freshly quickened by the divine correction, you
must apply the strength of your righteousness to another matter which concerns you as well as God. For your brethren who
live in the east are in urgent need of your help, and you must hasten to give them the aid which has often been promised
them. For, as the most of you have heard, the Turks and Arabs have attacked them and have conquered the territory of
Romania [the Greek empire] as far west as the shore of the Mediterranean and the Hellespont, which is called the Arm of St.
George. They have occupied more and more of the lands of those Christians, and have overcome them in seven battles.
They have killed and captured many, and have destroyed the churches and devastated the empire. If you permit them to
continue thus for awhile with impurity, the faithful of God will be much more widely attacked by them. On this account I,
or rather the Lord, beseech you as Christ's heralds to publish this everywhere and to persuade all people of whatever rank,
foot-soldiers and knights, poor and rich, to carry aid promptly to those Christians and to destroy that vile race from the lands
of our friends. I say this to those who are present, it meant also for those who are absent. Moreover, Christ commands it.
"All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins.
This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested. O what a disgrace if such a despised and base race,
which worships demons, should conquer a people which has the faith of omnipotent God and is made glorious with the
name of Christ! With what reproaches will the Lord overwhelm us if you do not aid those who, with us, profess the
Christian religion! Let those who have been accustomed unjustly to wage private warfare against the faithful now go against
the infidels and end with victory this war which should have been begun long ago. Let those who for a long time, have been
robbers, now become knights. Let those who have been fighting against their brothers and relatives now fight in a proper
way against the barbarians. Let those who have been serving as mercenaries for small pay now obtain the eternal reward.
Let those who have been wearing themselves out in both body and soul now work for a double honor. Behold! on this side
will be the sorrowful and poor, on that, the rich; on this side, the enemies of the Lord, on that, his friends. Let those who go
not put off the journey, but rent their lands and collect money for their expenses; and as soon as winter is over and spring
comes, let hem eagerly set out on the way with God as their guide."
Source: Bongars, Gesta Dei per Francos, 1, pp. 382 f., trans in Oliver J. Thatcher, and Edgar Holmes McNeal, eds., A
Source Book for Medieval History, (New York: Scribners, 1905), 513-17
Document 21: The Black Death
From Agnolo di Tura, of Siena:
“The mortality in Siena began in May. It was a cruel and horrible thing…It seemed that almost everyone became stupefied
seeing the pain. It is impossible for the human tongue to recount the awful truth. Indeed, one who did not see such
horribleness can be called blessed. The victims died almost immediately. They would swell beneath the armpits and in the
groin, and fall over while talking. Father abandoned child, wife, husband, one brother another; for this illness seemed to
strike through breath and sight. And so they died. None could be found to bury the dead for money or friendship. Members
of a household brought their dead to a ditch as best they could, without priest, without divine offices. In many places in
Siena great pits were dug and piled deep with the multitude of dead. And they died by the hundreds, both day and night, and
all were thrown in those ditches and covered with earth. And as soon as those ditches were filled, more were dug. I, Agnolo
di Tura…buried my five children with my own hands…And so many died that all believed it was the end of the world.
Document 22: Life of a peasant
Peasants worked long hours every day rain or shine, to ensure that their families had enough to eat. Most peasants were
farmers, although a few were millers, blacksmiths, and tavern owners. Peasant farmers were the backbone of medieval
society. They worked land leased to them by wealthier landholders in the nobility. The farmers produced all of the food, and
paid most of the taxes. Their lives weren't all hard work though. They had feasts on holidays, and celebrated births and
marriages. They rested each Sabbath day and attended church.
Childbirth was very dangerous during the Middle Ages. If both mother and infant survived childbirth, the child was usually
bathed in lukewarm water and then swaddled in warm cotton or wool fabric. Ifit was thought the infant would not live, it
was immediately baptized by themed wife or by a man nearby, often the father. If the infant was thought to survive it was
baptized several days after its birth in a local church. Here it was named, often after a close relative or a saint, and was
promised to be brought up as a Christian
http://kroeber.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/history/middleages/pdailylife.htm
Document 23: The Plague/The Black Death.
In 1348 the Plague, or the Black Death, came to Europe through trading ships in the Mediterranean Sea. The disease
quickly spread all over the continent of Europe, killing off about one-third of the population. Agnolo di Tura, an Italian,
wrote a firsthand account of his experience living amongst the Plague in Siena, Italy.
The mortality began in Siena in May [1348]. It was a cruel and horrible thing; and I do not know where to
begin to tell the cruelty and the pitiless ways. It seemed to almost everyone that one became stupefied by
seeing the pain...Indeed on who did not see such horribleness can be called blessed. And the victims died
almost immediately. They would swell beneath their armpits and in their groins, and fall over dead while
talking. Father abandoned child, wife husband, one brother another...And none could be found to bury the dead
for money or friendship. Members of a household brought their dead to a ditch as best they could, without
priest, without divine offices [last rites]. Nor did the death bell sound. And in many places in Siena great pits
Document
were dug and piled deep with the multitude of dead.
And I, Agnolo di Tura, called the Fat, buried my five children with my own hands. And there were also those
who were so sparsely covered with earth that dogs dragged them forth and devoured many bodies throughout
the city.
Source: World History Patterns of Interaction Primary Sources.
There was no one who wept for any death, for all awaited death. And so many died that all believed that it
was the end of the world.
Document 24: The Manorial System.
The manorial system, widespread in the West from Charlemagne’s time onward, was not at first favorable to the
development of agriculture and commerce. Manors tended to be self-sufficient; the economy was closed. People lived in
their small world, in constant fear of the strange world beyond, from which came only evil. The best they could hope for
was to endure; and they endured. In the eleventh and following centuries things took a turn for the better. Life became
more stable; population increased; new lands were brought under cultivation and old lands rendered [made] more
productive. New agricultural techniques were introduced. The power of legumes [nitrogen-fixing plants] to nourish and
revive exhausted soils was recognized, and the science of manuring developed—marl [lime-rich mud] and ashes being
employed in combination with animal manures. The quality of herds was improved by selection and crossbreeding.
Flowing water was put to work, operating gristmills and providing power for forges. Windmills whirled on plains and
uplands, and men even attempted, with some success, to construct tidal mills. . . .
Source: Morris Bishop, The Middle Ages, Houghton Mifflin
Document 25: Excerpt Castle Life.
Even in summer, dampness clung to the stone rooms, and the lord and his retinue spent as much time as possible
outdoors. At dawn the watchman atop the donjon blew a blast on his bugle to awaken the castle. After a scanty breakfast
of bread and wine or beer, the nobles attended mass in the castle chapel.
Source: The International History Project (2001). http://history-world.org/castle_life.htm
Document 26: Class Structure
Medieval society essentially consisted of three classes: nobles, peasants, and clergy. Each of these groups had its own
role. The nobles were primarily fighters, belonging to an honored society distinct from the freemen
and serfs who made up the peasantry. In an age of physical violence, society obviously would accord first place to the
man with the sword rather than to the man with the hoe. Members of the clergy came from both the noble and peasant
classes. Although most higher churchmen were sons of nobles and held land as vassals under local custom, the clergy
formed a class that was considered separate from the nobility and peasantry.
Source: The International History Project (2001). http://history-world.org/Mid%20political_organization.htm
Document 27: The Peasant’s Life
About nine tenths of the people were peasants--farmers or village laborers. Only a few of these were freemen--peasants
who were not bound to a lord and who paid only a fixed rent for their land. The vast majority were serfs and villeins.
Theoretically, the villeins had wider legal rights than the serfs and fewer duties to the lords. There was little real
difference, however.
A peasant village housed perhaps ten to 60 families. Each family lived in a dark, dank hut made of wood or wicker
daubed with mud and thatched with straw or rushes. Layers of straw or reeds covered the floor, fouled by the pigs,
chickens, and other animals housed with the family. The one bed was a pile of dried leaves or straw. All slept in their
rough garb, with skins of animals for cover. A cooking fire of peat or wood burned drearily day and night in a clearing on
the dirt floor. The smoke seeped out through a hole in the roof or the open half of a two-piece door. The only furniture
was a plank table on trestles, a few stools, perhaps a chest, and probably a loom for the women to make their own cloth.
Every hut had a vegetable patch.
All the peasants worked to support their lord. They gave about half their time to work in his fields, cut timber, haul
water, spin and weave, repair his buildings, and wait upon his household. In war, the men had to fight at his side. Besides
labor, peasants had to pay taxes to their lord in money or produce. They had to give a tithe to the church--every tenth
egg, sheaf of wheat, lamb, chicken, and all other animals.
Famines were frequent. Plagues depleted the livestock. Frosts, floods, and droughts destroyed the crops. Bursts of
warfare ravaged the countryside as the lords burned each other's fields and harvests.
The peasants' lot was hard, but most historians consider it little worse than that of peasants today. Because of the many
holidays, or holy days, in the Middle Ages, peasants actually labored only about 260 days a year. They spent their
holidays in church festivals, watching wandering troups of jongleurs, journeying to mystery or miracle plays, or engaging
in wrestling, bowling, cockfights, apple bobs, or dancing.
Source: The International History Project (2001). http://history-world.org/peasant.htm
Document 28: Excerpt from The Church and Feudalism
In time, the church sought to improve the behavior of the warrior nobility. In addition to attempting to add Christian
virtues to chivalry, the code of knightly conduct,… the church sought to impose limitations on warfare. In the eleventh
century bishops called the attention of the knights to the Peace of God and Truce of God. The Peace of God banned from
the sacraments all persons who pillaged sacred places or refused to spare noncombatants. The Truce of God established
"closed seasons" on fighting: from sunset on Wednesday to sunrise on Monday and certain longer periods, such as Lent.
These regulations were generally ignored.
Source: The International History Project (2001). http://history-world.org/Mid%20political_organization.htm
Document 29: Excerpt from the Missionary Activities of the Church
The early Middle Ages was a period of widespread missionary activity. By spreading Christianity, missionaries aided in
the fusion of Germanic and classical cultures. Monasteries served as havens for those seeking a contemplative life, as
repositories of learning for scholars, and often as progressive farming centers. The zeal with which the monks approached
their faith often extended beyond the monastic walls.
Source: The International History Project (2001). http://history-world.org/midchurch.htm
Document 30: Excerpt from The Preservation of Knowledge
One of the great contributions of the monasteries was the preservation of the learning of the classical world and that of
the church. Learning did not entirely die out in western Europe, of course. Seeing that the ability to read
Greek was quickly disappearing, the sixth-century Roman scholar Boethius, an administrator under the Ostrogothic king
Theodoric, determined to preserve Greek learning by translating all of Plato and Aristotle into Latin. Only Aristotle's
treatises on logic were translated, and these remained the sole works of that philosopher available in the West until the
twelfth century. Unjustly accused of treachery by Theodoric, Boethius was thrown into prison, where he wrote The
Consolation of Philosophy while awaiting execution. This little work later became a medieval textbook on philosophy.
During the early Middle Ages most education took place in the monasteries. In the late sixth and seventh centuries, when
the effects of the barbarian invasions were still being felt on the Continent, Irish monasteries provided a safe haven for
learning. There men studied Greek and Latin, copied and preserved manuscripts, and in illuminating them produced
masterpieces of art. The Book of Kells is a surviving example of their skill.
Source: The International History Project (2001). http://history-world.org/midchurch.htm
Document 31: The Rise of Trade and Towns
Although scholars have long debated the extent of trade and urban life during the early Middle Ages, there is general
agreement that increased trade activity was evident before the crusades. With the ending of Viking and Magyar attacks in
the tenth century, a northern trading area developed, which extended from the British Isles to the Baltic Sea.
The center of this northern trade system was the county of Flanders. By 1050 Flemish artisans were producing a surplus
of woolen cloth of such fine quality that it was in great demand. Baltic furs, honey and forest products,
and British tin and raw wool were exchanged for Flemish cloth. From the south by way of Italy came oriental luxury
goods - silks, sugar, and spices.
Source: The International History Project (2001). http://history-world.org/midtowns.htm
Document 32: Trade Routes and Trade Fairs
Along the main European trade routes, astute lords set up fairs, where merchants and goods from Italy and northern
Europe met. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the fairs of Champagne in France functioned as the major
clearing house for this international trade.
Fairs were important and elaborate events held either seasonally or annually in specified areas of each European country.
The feudal law of the region was set aside during a fair, and in its place was substituted a new commerical code called
the "law merchant." Special courts, with merchants acting as judges, settled all disputes. In England such courts were
called "pie-powder courts," from the French pied poudre, meaning "dusty foot." Fairs also greatly stimulated the revival
of a money economy and early forms of banking and credit.
Source: The International History Project (2001). http://history-world.org/midtowns.htm
Document 39: Women of the Middle Ages.
Even dating back to the Middle Ages many women lacked basic rights. Unmarried women were allowed to own
property and had some rights. Married women had to give up their rights once they were married. Noble women were
usually controlled by their fathers, who made their decisions for them. Any unruly girls were beaten into submission and
disobedience was seen as a crime against religion.
Source: https://sites.google.com/site/lifeinthemiddleagesvft/women-of-the-middle-ages
Document 40: Monks and Nuns welcoming travelers and caring for the sick, c 1400s
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3067012/Puzzling-medieval-prayer-wheel-inside-rare-LiesbornGospel-diagram-used-remains-mystery.html
Document 33: Letter of Gregory VII to Henry IV, AD 1075.
Bishop Gregory, servant of the servants of God, to King Henry, greeting and apostolic benediction:-that is, if he be obedient to the
apostolic chair as beseems a Christian king. Considering and carefully weighing with what strict judgment we shall have to render
account for the ministry entrusted to us by St. Peter, chief of the apostles, it is with hesitation that we have sent unto thee the
apostolic benediction. For thou art said knowingly to exercise fellowship with those excommunicated by a judgment of the apostolic
chair, and by sentence of a synod. If this be true, thou dost know thyself that thou may'st receive the favour neither of the divine nor
of the apostolic benediction unless-those who have been excommunicated being separated from thee, and compelled to do penancethou do first, with condign repentance and satisfaction' seek absolution and indulgence for the transgression. Therefore we counsel
thy Highness that, if thou dost feel thyself guilty in this matter, thou do seek the advice of some canonical bishop with speedy
confession. Who, with our permission enjoining on thee a proper penance for this fault, shall absolve thee and shall endeavour by
letter to intimate to us truly, with thy consent, the measure of thy penitence.
Source: Henderson, Ernest F. Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages London : George Bell and Sons, 1896.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/inv01.asp
Document 34: Pope Gregory VII, the Deposition of Henry IV, Feb. 22 1076
And especially to me, as thy representative and by thy favour, has the power been granted by God of binding and loosing
in Heaven and on earth. On the strength of this belief therefore, for the honour and security of thy church, in the name of
Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I withdraw, through thy power and authority, from Henry the king, son of
Henry the emperor, who has risen against thy church with unheard of insolence, the rule over the whole kingdom of the
Germans and over Italy. And I absolve all Christians from the bonds of the oath which they have made or shall make to
him; and I forbid any one to serve him as king. For it is fitting that he who strives to lessen the honour of thy church
should himself lose the honour which belongs to him. And since he has scorned to obey as a Christian, and has notreturned to God whom he had deserted-holding intercourse with the excommunicated ; practicing manifold iniquities;
spurning my commands which, as thou dost bear witness, I issued to him for his own salvation; separating himself from
thy church and striving to rend it-I bind him in thy stead with the chain of the anathema. And, leaning on thee, I so bind
him that the people may know and have proof that thou art Peter, and above thy rock the Son of the living God bath built
His church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.
Source: Henderson, Ernest F. Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages London : George Bell and Sons, 1896.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/inv01.asp
Document 35: Henry IV.'s Answer to Gregory VII., Jan. 24,1076
Henry, king not through usurpation but through the holy ordination of God, to Hildebrand, at present not pope but false
monk. Such greeting as this hast thou merited through thy disturbances, inasmuch as there is no grade in the church
which thou hast omitted to make a partaker not of honour but of confusion, not of benediction but of malediction. For, to
mention few and especial cases out of many, not only hast thou not feared to lay hands upon the rulers of the holy
church, the anointed of the Lord- the archbishops, namely, bishops and priests-but thou hast trodden them under foot like
slaves ignorant of what their master is doing. Thou hast won favour from the: common herd by crushing them; thou hast
looked upon all of them as knowing nothing? upon thy sole self, moreover, as knowing all things. This knowledge,
however, thou hast used not for edification but for destruction; so that with reason we believe that St. Gregory, whose
name: thou hast usurped for thyself, was prophesying concerning thee when he said: " The pride of him who is in power
increases the more, the greater the number of those subject to him; and he thinks that he himself can do more than all."
And we, indeed, have endured all this, being eager to guard the honour of the apostolic see; thou, however, hast
understood our humility to be fear, and hast not, accordingly, shunned to rise up against the royal power conferred upon
us by God, daring to threaten to divest us of it. As if we had received our kingdom from thee ! As if the kingdom and the
empire were in shine and not in God's hand! And this although our Lord Jesus Christ did call us to the kingdom, did not,
however, call thee to the priesthood. For thou hast ascended by the following steps. By wiles, namely, which the
profession of monk abhors, thou hast achieved money; by money, favour; by the sword, the throne of peace. And from
the throne of peace thou hast disturbed peace, inasmuch as thou hast armed subjects against those in authority over them;
inasmuch as thou, who wert not called, hast taught that our bishops called of God are to be despised; inasmuch an thou
hast usurped for laymen the ministry over their priests, allowing them to depose or condemn those whom they
themselves had received as teachers from the hand of God through the laying on of hands of the bishops. On me also
who, although unworthy to be among the anointed, have nevertheless been anointed to the kingdom, thou hast lain thy
hand; me who-as the tradition of the holy Fathers teaches, declaring that I am not to be deposed for any crime unless,
which God forbid, I should have strayed from the faith-am subject to the judgment of God alone. For the wisdom of the
holy fathers committed even Julian the apostate not to themselves, but to God alone, to be judged and to be deposed. For
himself the true pope, Peter, also exclaims: "Fear God, honour the king." But thou who dost not fear God, dost dishonour
in me his appointed one. Wherefore St. Paul, when he has not spared an angel of Heaven if he shall have preached
otherwise, has not excepted thee also who dost teach otherwise upon earth. For he says: " If any one either I or an angel
from Heaven, should preach a gospel other than that which has been preached to you, he shall be damned. Thou,
therefore, damned by this curse and by the judgment of all our bishops and by our own, descend and relinquish the
apostolic chair which thou hast usurped. Let another ascend the throne of St. Peter, who shall not practice violence under
the cloak of religion, but shall teach the sound doctrine of St. Peter. I Henry, king by the grace of God, do say unto thee,
together with all our bishops: Descend, descend to be damned throughout the ages.
Source: Henderson, Ernest F. Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages London : George Bell and Sons, 1896.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/inv01.asp
Document 36: Excerpt of Concordat of Worms; September 23, 1122
Privilege of Pope Calixtus II.
I, bishop Calixtus, servant of the servants of God, do grant to thee beloved son, Henry-by the grace of God august
emperor of the Romans-that the elections of the bishops and abbots of the German kingdom, who belong to the kingdom,
shall take place in thy presence, without simony and without any violence; so that if any discord shall arise between the
parties concerned, thou, by the counsel or judgment of the metropolitan and the co-provincials, may'st give consent and
aid to the party which has the more right. The one elected, moreover, without any exaction may receive the regalia from
thee through the lance, and shall do unto thee for these what he rightfully should. But he who is consecrated in the other
parts of thy empire (i.e. Burgundy and Italy) shall, within six months, and without any exaction, receive the regalia from
thee through the lance, and shall do unto thee for these what he rightfully should. Excepting all things which are known
to belong to the Roman church. Concerning matters, however, in which thou dost make complaint to me, and dost
demand aid,-I, according to the duty of my office. will furnish aid to thee. I give unto thee true peace, and to all who are
or have been on thy side in the time of this discord.
Source: Henderson, Ernest F. Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages London : George Bell and Sons, 1896.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/inv01.asp
Document 37: Excerpt of Concordat of Worms; September 23, 1122
Edict of the Emperor Henry IV.
In the name of the holy and indivisible Trinity, I, Henry, by the grace of God august emperor of the Romans, for the
love of God and of the holy Roman church and of our master pope Calixtus, and for the healing of my soul, do remit to
God, and to the holy apostles of God, Peter and Paul, and to the holy catholic church, all investiture through ring and
staff; and do grant that in all the churches that are in my kingdom or empire there may be canonical election and free
consecration. All the possessions and regalia of St. Peter which, from the beginning of this discord unto this day,
whether in the time of my father or also in mine, have been abstracted, and which I hold: I restore to that same holy
Roman church. As to those things, moreover, which I do not hold, I will faithfully aid in their restoration. As to the
possessions also of all other churches and princes, and of all others lay and clerical persons which have been lost in that
war: according to the counsel of the princes, or according to justice, I will restore the things that I hold; and of those
things which I do not hold I will faithfully aid in the restoration. And I grant true peace to our master pope Calixtus, and
to the holy Roman church, and to all those who are or have been on its side. And in matters where the holy Roman
church shall demand aid I will grant it; and in matters concerning which it shall make complaint to me I will duly grant
to it justice. All these things have been done by the consent and counsel of the princes. Whose names are here adjoined:
Adalbert archbishop of Mainz; F. archbishop of Cologne; H. bishop of Ratisbon; O. bishop of Bamberg; B. bishop of
Spires; H. of Augsburg; G. of Utrecht; Ou. Of Constance; E. abbot of Fulda; Henry, duke; Frederick, duke; S. duke;
Pertolf, duke; Margrave Teipold; Margrave Engelbert; Godfrey, count Palatine; Otto, count Palatine; Berengar, count. I,
Frederick, archbishop of Cologne and archchancellor, have given my recognizances.
Source: Henderson, Ernest F. Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages London : George Bell and Sons, 1896.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/inv01.asp
Document 38: Urban Charter of Jaca, Spain.
Sources: Lualdi, K. (2005), Sources of the making of the west: Peoples and cultures. Vol. 1 to 1740. (2nd ed).
Boston MA: Bedford.