Medieval Life
This section describes life in the Medieval period. (Please note that this section is under construction and incomplete)
The Feudal System
The structure of the feudal system was like a pyramid, where the king was at the apex (point at the top) and the common people (Villeins) of the country were at the base. In between the two were different kinds of lord whose position was defined by their social class.
Life in a castle
What was life like in a medieval castle. Where did people eat, sleep and go to the toilet. The castle had to provide enough accommodation for the nobleman or king and his party when they stayed at the castle. When the king was elsewhere just the number of people required to look after the castle and to guard it actually lived there.
Life in a village
The countryside of England would have looked very different from what we see today. Thick forest would have covered a lot of it containing dangerous wild animals such as wolves and boars. In clearings throughout the forest would have been the villages known as manors.
Life in a town
The Anglo-Saxons had developed the fortified settlement known as a burh. The settlement was surrounded by banks and ditches with wooden palisades on top. A number of gatehouses controlled who entered the burh. The buildings inside the burh were mostly made from wood or wattle and daub with thatched rooves. Over time these defences were replaced by stone walls and gatehouses.
Life in a village
The countryside of England would have looked very different from what we see today. Thick forest would have covered a lot of it containing dangerous wild animals such as wolves and boars. In clearings throughout the forest would have been the villages known as manors.
Life in a town
The Anglo-Saxons had developed the fortified settlement known as a burh. The settlement was surrounded by banks and ditches with wooden palisades on top. A number of gatehouses controlled who entered the burh. The buildings inside the burh were mostly made from wood or wattle and daub with thatched rooves. Over time these defences were replaced by stone walls and gatehouses.
Costumes
What medieval people wore in the eleventh century.
The Black Death
The Black Death could have been what we know today as Bubonic Plague. Bubonic Plague is spread by the rat flea. The idea for a long time has been that the rat fleas spread across Asia and Europe on rats and people killing as they went.
