Download Revised knights.crusades.guilds.towns.plague

MIDDLE AGES
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LEARNING TARGETS
Learning Target: I can discuss important aspects of the culture of
Medieval Europe.
Success Criteria: I am able to identify key points of the following:
knighthood
Crusades
towns and guilds
plague
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KNIGHTS ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the key aspects of a knight?
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KNIGHTS
Knights were in the noble class because they had access to
money.
Armor and equipment were expensive.
If there weren’t enough soldiers for battle, the knight
had to pay for more.
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KNIGHTS
3 stages of knighthood:
Page - age 7-12, lived with noble family, acted like
servant, learned - etiquette, reading/writing, music,
religion, horse riding
Squire - age 12-13, cared for armor and weapons and
learned to use them, helped in tournaments, more
responsibilities than page
Knight - about age 21, needed to qualify - pass tests
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KNIGHTS
Tournaments (mock battles)
How knights prepared for battle - practiced skills
Became a major source of entertainment
Allowed knights to gain more wealth - prizes
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CRUSADES ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What was the purpose of the Crusades? What were the
outcomes of the Crusades?
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CRUSADES
For hundreds of years, Muslims and Christians fought for
control of the Holy Lands (Jerusalem).
Purpose of Crusades:
Christians lost control and fought to regain it.
The pope thought the Crusades would unite Christians
after the schism.
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CRUSADES
Reasons why people joined the Crusades:
The pope promised anyone willing to fight that all of their sins would
be forgiven and they would have immediate entry into heaven.
People of all social classes had something to gain:
Peasants - escape manor life
Knights - use fighting skills
Lords - gain land, wealth, and political power
Church - gain control of Holy Land
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CRUSADES
Four major Crusades
Did not permanently regain the Holy Land
Muslim army more unified than Christian army
Many lives lost
Many lords lost their fortune
Caused decline of feudalism
Gained:
New manners/behavior, cultural knowledge, trade/luxury items,
exploration - better understanding of the world, brought Europe out of
the Dark Ages
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TOWNS ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What role did towns and guilds play in the decline of
feudalism?
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TOWNS AND GUILDS
Towns existed before the Crusades, but became more established after
The growth of towns:
Population grew - manors overcrowded
Lords allowed peasants to buy their freedom
Peasants formed small communities, called towns, outside of the
manor
Peasants were able to make more money, which led to the
middle class (social class between nobles and peasants)
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TOWNS AND GUILDS
Guilds formed because the new middle class was making
more money and there was a need for regulation and quality
control of goods.
Extremely high standards for membership and quality
of the products
Decided on fair prices for the products sold
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TOWNS AND GUILDS
Two types of guilds:
Merchant guilds - regulated town’s trade and made
sure anyone selling goods were part of a craft guild.
Craft guilds - regulated the trade of specific crafts (hats,
clothes, metal, etc.), controlled the actual artisans, set
standards for products, taught crafts to one another.
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TOWNS AND GUILDS
3 stages of training to become a guild member:
Apprentice - about age 10, lasted 7 years, lived with
master craftsmen and began learning the craft
Journeyman - guild decided if he was ready, worked for
various masters, earned daily wage, practiced skills
Master - produce a “masterpiece” judged by guild to
qualify, once qualified can own his own shop, can have
an apprentice
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THE PLAGUE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What were the impacts of the plague?
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THE PLAGUE
Started outside of Europe
Traveled along trade routes to reach Europe
Carried by fleas that attached themselves to humans after
their rat hosts died
Unsanitary conditions in towns created the perfect
environment for fleas to spread.
Over 3 years, 1/3 of Europe’s population (200-250 million)
died from the plague
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THE PLAGUE
Economic impact:
huge labor shortage led to survivors being paid higher wages, less
people led to surplus of items, which lowered prices of goods
Political impact:
feudal system officially dismantled, kings free to take over land
and form nations
Cultural impact:
people began to focus on death, evident in painting, sculpture,
architecture, and literature
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