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TimeRef.com
  • Episodes
    Episode Index
    Key Dates Timelines
    By Category
    This day in history
  • People
    A..Z List of Medieval People
    Kings and Queens of England Kings of Scotland Kings of France Kings of Denmark Emporers of Byzantine Popes and Antipopes Crusader States and their Rulers
    Family Trees
  • Life
    Life in Medieval Times
    Life in a Castle The Feudal System Country Life and Agriculture Life in a Medieval Town Life in a Religious Community
  • Castles
    Castle Index Page Castle Development
    Early Fortifications Motte and bailey Castles Square Keeps Castle of William the Conqueror Concentric Castles Castles of Edward I
    Castle Siege Tactics Parts of a Castle
    Locations of over 300 Castles
  • Places
    A..Z list of Medieval Buildings 3D Virtual Reconstructions Maps Photographs
    Abbeys and Monasteries Cathedrals Medieval Architecture
  • 3D/VR
    3D Virtual Reconstructions
    Virtual Motte and Bailey Castle Virtual Norman Keep Virtual Siege Engines
    Etal Castle Skenfrith Castle Middleham Castle
    Knights Training
  • More
    Glossary of Terms
    Games
    Copyright / About TimeRef.com Contact the Author
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Medieval Life
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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 an abbey

Abbeys and Monasteries were populated by many different religious orders with their own beliefs, rules and restrictions. The medieval period saw the foundation of a wide number of religious orders including the popular Benedictines and Cistercians.

Industries, trading and guilds

Weekly markets and fairs were the main way in which people bought and sold goods. Farmers and craftsmen took goods into the towns to sell at the markets. Shop keepers in the towns had to shut their own shops on market days and sell from the stalls.

Education and learning

How did you get an education is medieval times..

Law and Punishment

From the stocks to prisons.

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.

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.

Explore a medieval village, town or abbey

Outside the priest's house. Click to explore

The Village

Explore and medieval village.

Outside the town gates

The Town

Explore a medieval town and visit the theatre.

Inside the abbey cloister

The Abbey

Explore the medieval abbey.

3D Virtual Reconstructions

Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past. Built using the popular game development tool Unity 3D, these reconstructions will run in the most of the popular web browsers on your desktop or laptop computer.

3D/VR

Virtual Buildings

Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past.

Explore the White Tower

Explore four floors of the keep at the Tower of London.

 

Adventure Game - Early Access

Early Access to the TimeRef card-based Adventure Game.

 

Medieval Village - Early Access

Explore the medieval village.

 

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