Your Guide to Medieval Society

Your Guide to Medieval Society book cover — DESTINATION Midale Ages Your Guide to Medieval Society Rachel Stuckey Le Crabtree Publishing Company www crabtree books com

Your Guide to Medieval Society — page 1 — Before We Start Did you know Medieval society was shaped by the religion politics and economics of the time Society changed greatly over the 1 000 year period of the Middle Ages The Middle Ages lasted from approximately 500 to 1500 The era is Sometimes divided into two periods the early Middle Ages before the year the 1000 and later Middle Ages after 1000 EMERGENCE OF EUROPE A RURAL SOCIETY rom backwater to world power Land means power European cities lag behind Europe was ruled from Rome above until Rome was overthrown by Germanic peoples in 476 The defeat of Rome left Europe weak compared to empires in Asia and Africa Rulers in different parts of Europe often fought one another During the Middle Ages however strong kingdoms emerged in Europe By the 1500s European kingdoms were exploring and conquering foreign lands Europeans had become influential around the world Most people in medieval Europe lived in rural areas or villages in the countryside They worked the land to grow crops and raise animals for food They also used natural resources such as timber for construction Europe had few cities but other parts of the world had huge urban or city centers These cities included Constantinople in modern Turkey Baghdad in Iraq Cairo in Egypt and Chang an in China DESTINATION MIDDLE AGES

Your Guide to Medieval Society — page 2 — A FAMILY AFFAIR Rulers found dynasties Families hold the throne In the early Middle Ages modern countries did not exist in Europe Kings or queens ruled territories with the help of powerful nobles such as dukes and barons left As kings conquered more lands they created empires Rulers began to pass their crowns on to their heirs This created dynasties or series of rulers from the same family Having stable rulers helped lay the foundation for modern countries as the borders of kingdoms became fixed AGE OF FAITH Religion shapes soalety E f The Middle Ages are sometimes called the Age of Faith The Catholic Church in Rome controlled the spiritual lives of European Christians Meanwhile Islam was spreading through Asia and Africa and even to Spain in Europe People fought many wars in the name of religion but religion also encouraged education Monks called scribes hand copied religious books that were read in churches People also made great art and architecture in the service o religion such Siena Cathedral right as in Italy II TE L FIGHTING FOR POWER Recruiting armies Kings and their nobles became important in society by being skilled warriors The need for land meant that there were frequent wars as leaders tried to gain new territory Nobles were expected to fight on behalf of their king The nobles recruited armies from the knights and peasants who lived on their land YOUR GUIDE TO MEDIEVAL SOCIETY

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