Life in Western Europe After the Fall of Rome
When Rome fell, western European civilization hit a wall and stumbled backwards into a period now known as the Dark Ages. This affected the lives of many Europeans.
When Rome fell, western European civilization hit a wall and stumbled backwards into a period now known as the Dark Ages. This affected the lives of many Europeans.
- limited or no trade
- many people were illiterate
- little if any advances in technology
- people fled cities and went back to farm life
- roads were destroyed
- very little communication
- reliance on local leaders
Feudalism was a system of law and government. This was a system based on classes. Feudalism also helped with security. The highest rank in the feudal society were monarchs. The monarchs ruled the land and the people who lived on it. Below the monarchs were the lords, ladies, and the nobles. The monarch would give this class a fief. A fief is a small piece of land that a lord was given to protect. After the lords, ladies, and nobles there were the knights and vassals. The nobles would give the knights fiefs off of their own land. The knights would then give the nobles and their land protection. If a knight did this he became a vassal. Under the knights were the craftsmen and merchants. The craftsmen were skilled workers and the merchants would sell, trade, and do business with other people or merchants. Below the craftsmen and merchants were the peasants and serfs. This was the lowest ranking class there was. Serfs and peasants were almost always farmers, and if they were living on a fief of land they would pay their lord in the crops that they harvested. This system of classes stayed in place for centuries.
Life on the Manors vs. Life in the Towns
Living on the manors was very different than living in the towns. A manor was a piece of land that was owned by a lord. On a manor there was a church, castle or large house in which the lord and his family lived, and a house for the serfs. Much of where the serfs lived was dedicated to farmland. They had to maintain the farmland in order to live there. The serfs were tied to the land they lived on and could not leave the land unless the lord told them otherwise. If a serf could run away and hide in the towns for one year and one day they were free to go. Manors were very self-sufficient and the people who lived on manors rarely went into town.
The towns were very cramped and dirty. Many crimes were committed in town, and since the majority of the houses were made of wood, they burned down very easily. Disease was spread quickly because of the town’s tight spacing. In towns there were many craftsmen and tradesmen. This was convenient for the townspeople because instead of going and harvesting their food they could receive it when it was ready to be consumed. The town also had the power to raise taxes and create new laws.
The towns were very cramped and dirty. Many crimes were committed in town, and since the majority of the houses were made of wood, they burned down very easily. Disease was spread quickly because of the town’s tight spacing. In towns there were many craftsmen and tradesmen. This was convenient for the townspeople because instead of going and harvesting their food they could receive it when it was ready to be consumed. The town also had the power to raise taxes and create new laws.
Role of Women
A woman’s role in the Dark Ages was to have children and take care of the household. Women in the dark ages were always considered to be below men. If a woman did not obey a man she would be beaten. The only thing women were allowed to do without permission was to commit themselves to the church. By joining the church they became a nun and were not allowed to marry or have children. If a woman became a nun she would have the opportunity to become educated, which was very rare back then. If the male, whether it be the woman’s father, brother or husband, would ask her to help him, she could go out of the house and work with him (this was mostly peasants). Women could help with shop keeping, baking, spinning, brewing beer, farming, weaving, and other trades. In the later parts of the Dark Ages, midwifery was a profession that only women were allowed to do. This was perhaps a light part of the Dark Ages, especially for women seeking more independence in their own job choice. Unfortunately, all respect was lost when people began to accuse midwifes of being witches.
Medieval Law and Order
Law and order was very severe in the Dark Ages. If you were declared guilty of a crime you were to receive a very severe punishment.
- - Spies had their eyes ripped out.
- - Thieves had their hands cut off.
- - Illegal hunters had their ears cut off.
- - Women who committed murder were strangled and then burnt.
- When a person was found guilty they could be burned, hanged, or tortured. If the crime was really horrible they would receive all three. Executions or hangings were often done in a busy place, as fear was a great way to warn people of what would happen if they committed a crime.
- If you were accused of being a witch or having committed a very dark crime, they would put you through one of the three ordeals.
- Ordeal by water:
- If somebody was accused of a serious crime or witchcraft they would be tied up and thrown into a body of water. If the person floated they were deemed guilty, but if the person sank they were confirmed innocent. Sadly, if they sank and were found innocent they would not normally retrieve the body. So whether they were confirmed guilty or innocent they would most likely end up dying.
- Ordeal by fire:
- When somebody committed a crime they would make them carry a burning hot metal stake five paces. After a few days if the wound was still gross and possibly infected the were found innocent. If the wound had healed or was healing well, they were guilty and would be killed.
- Ordeal by combat:
- The person and the person who accused them would go into battle. Whoever won was declared innocent, and if you died, then you must have been guilty.
- The ways that people dealt with crimes and punishing people were very dark and disturbing.
- By
: Isabel -
Resources:
ISN pages
- http://www.ushistory.org/civ/6f.asp
- Berstein, Stanley, and Richard Sheck. World History Medieval to Early Modern Times. Austin, Texas: Holt, 2006. Print.
- - Spies had their eyes ripped out.
- - Thieves had their hands cut off.
- - Illegal hunters had their ears cut off.
- - Women who committed murder were strangled and then burnt.
- When a person was found guilty they could be burned, hanged, or tortured. If the crime was really horrible they would receive all three. Executions or hangings were often done in a busy place, as fear was a great way to warn people of what would happen if they committed a crime.
- If you were accused of being a witch or having committed a very dark crime, they would put you through one of the three ordeals.
- Ordeal by water:
- If somebody was accused of a serious crime or witchcraft they would be tied up and thrown into a body of water. If the person floated they were deemed guilty, but if the person sank they were confirmed innocent. Sadly, if they sank and were found innocent they would not normally retrieve the body. So whether they were confirmed guilty or innocent they would most likely end up dying.
- Ordeal by fire:
- When somebody committed a crime they would make them carry a burning hot metal stake five paces. After a few days if the wound was still gross and possibly infected the were found innocent. If the wound had healed or was healing well, they were guilty and would be killed.
- When somebody committed a crime they would make them carry a burning hot metal stake five paces. After a few days if the wound was still gross and possibly infected the were found innocent. If the wound had healed or was healing well, they were guilty and would be killed.
- Ordeal by combat:
- The person and the person who accused them would go into battle. Whoever won was declared innocent, and if you died, then you must have been guilty.
- The ways that people dealt with crimes and punishing people were very dark and disturbing.
- By