Transportation in the Middle Ages was very much based on the methods and innovations that came before. While the Romans showed innovation in building a network of roads across their Empire, the Middle Ages saw a decline in ease and access of transportation.The once prevalent interconnected roads and bridges system collapsed with the fall of … Read more
In a time dominated by the Church, troubadours became well-known secular entertainers moving beyond religious themes and exploring love and politics. Troubadours rose to prominence in the High Middle Ages, which is generally considered to be 1100-1350; however, a majority of the surviving works date to what is referred to as the classical period (1180-1220). … Read more
Vassals in the Middle ages were those who held the land, called a fief, and owed service and allegiance to the lord who granted them that land. The vassal was usually a knight or a baron, but could also be a member of the clergy or a trusted member of nobility. Vassals in the Middle … Read more
Middle Ages Vikings usually meant Norse explorers, merchants, warriors or pirates. Vikings were known to trade, explore, raid and settle across Europe, Asia and islands in the North Atlantic from the late 900s AD to the mid-1200s AD. Vikings are often misrepresented or misremembered as larger than life figures, or killing machines that terrorized their … Read more
Contrary to the romanticized modern day depiction, the middle ages were quite a difficult and mundane time for the ordinary villager. Village life in the Middle Ages was marked by days that generally involved toiling in the fields and an occasional village celebration where both the lords and peasant would take a break from their … Read more
The Middle Ages were fraught with frequent wars and battles and weapons were extremely valuable for success in these campaigns. Using limited technology it was possible to create a wide range of weapons and defensive gear for knights and soldiers. Tournaments and sporting events served as important training practice for many aspects of a military … Read more
Witchcraft in the Middle Ages was a controversial crime that was equally punishable to poisoning. If one was accused of witchcraft, the charges could be dropped by a relative’s defense in a trial by combat, or by twelve people swearing an oath of the accused’s innocence. In the case of a relative defending the accused, … Read more
In order to best describe the role and position of women in the Middle Ages, it is first necessary to look at social standing of the women. In general, women at this point were considered inferior to men and their duties were primarily confined to the home and family life. A number of women, however, … Read more
When you consider how far the development of medicine has gone just in your lifetime it can be rather difficult to imagine what life might have been like for those in the medical field during the Middle Ages. Doctors in the Middle Ages knew little of the origination for the ailments that they were trying … Read more
The Crusades in the middle ages were a series of wars that the Christians of Europe launched against the Saracens. Saracens was a term that the Crusaders used to describe a Muslim. The Crusades began in 1905 prompted by Pope Claremont’s declaration at the Council of Claremont, which called for Christians across Europe to wage … Read more