THE MIDDLE AGES

Shade Somoye

English 11

Period 9-10

TECHNOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURE: CASTLE

KITCHENS

Placed outside the Great Hall

Water for kitchen was supplied from a nearby well

Contained a large stone sink

Castle kitchens were so large they could roast up

to 3 oxen at a time

CHAPELS

Essential part of the Medieval Castle

Used every morning for Mass

Common for the castle chapel to have a crypt

Was often a very cramped space

MEDIEVAL MATERIALS AND TOOLS

Wood was a very important material

Used Pine, Poplar, Oak, and Walnut

Popular tools made and used during the Middle

Ages were the Axe, Saw, Chisel, etc.

Most of the tools made were used as weapons

around the castle

RELIGION & CULTURE: MEDIEVAL WOMEN

Few woman lived comfortable lives, but Medieval

society was dominated by men

A woman’s role would have been to support her

husband

Women were paid less for doing the same job as a

man

About 90% of all women lived in rural areas and

were involved in some form of farm work

MEDIEVAL FOOD

Foods and diets depended on the class of the

individual

For those living in the manor house: fowl, beef,

bacon, lamb and fish

Medieval peasants had a much simpler diet

Medieval diets lacked vitamins A, C, and D and

were not high in calories

HALLOWEEN

The name is a purely Christian tradition that begun in the

early Middle Ages

A descendent of the Celtic festival of Samahain

Samahain marked the Celtic New Year when dead souls were

believed to walk the earth

Church names Nov. 1 All Hallows Day

Following medieval custom of beginning observances the night

before, collective holiday began on Hallows Eve; Halloween

SOCIO -ECONOMICS: MIDDLE AGE JOBS

Jobs changed within the Middle Ages because it

spanned over a thousand years

Generally four different orders: Clergy, Nobles and

Kings, Merchant Guildsmen, and Craftsmen and

Laborers.

Other well-known Medieval Jobs were: Blacksmith,

Tailor, Carpenter, Butcher, Weaver etc.

THE GREAT FAMINE

Lasted two years: 1315-1317

A wet spring made it impossible to plow fields,

making harvest much smaller than usual

Many people were badly weakened by

malnutrition

Few people died

THE BLACK DEATH

Lasted four years: 1347-1351

Disease was transmitted by fleas

Killed approximately 20 million people in Europe

Spread across 5 countries

DARK VS. LIGHT

In my opinion, the Middle Ages

were a time of darkness. Although

this time period had a small area

the shade of gray, overall it was a

period of dark times.

CITATIONS:

“Medieval Women.” 2000. Web. 18 Oct. 2013

“Medieval Food.” 2000. Web. 18 Oct. 2013

“Halloween.” 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2013

“Middle Age Jobs.” 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013

“The Great Famine.” 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013

“Black Death.” 1997. Web. 18 Oct. 2013

“Castle Architecture.” 2008. Web. 18 Oct. 2013

“Castle Chapels.” 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013

“Medieval Materials, Tools, and Methods.” 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013