Middle Ages news report
Just in by Matthew Tarnoff
Feudalism
Feudalism was the main source of daily life in the Middle Ages. This is the social class pyramid of that source
The Monarchy
The main leader except for the pope was the monarch, or king. There are many monarchs important to history. For instance, Charlemagne or William the conqueror. Some won wars or others made new ways of trade or religion. Even some have gross or famous deaths. This defined these people's lives
The Catholic Church
The clergy in Europe was very popular. It was called the (Roman) Catholic Church. The church was also not just for worship. The fed and also educate kids on the manor. This was very gracious of them because they were the equivalent of homeless people. They also gave last rights and were the first doctors of the church. Other services that they did were baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
The crusades
The crusades(AKA the Holy Wars) were a great source of war and sorrow in the Middle Ages. These wars occurred when the Christians tried to take back the holy land, or Jerusalem from the Muslims. The first attempt succeeded and they took Jerusalem back. After they scattered around, letting the Muslims reconquer it. These crusades continued with the Muslims either retaking or still having control of Jerusalem. They lost more and more success as they went on.
The Spanish Inquisition
The Spanish Inquisition was an infamous time in Spain. This happened when queen Isabella and King Ferdinand wanted to purify Spain of all heretics. These were anyone who converted religions that were originally under Islam or were a Jew. They wanted them to confess that they were not fully Christian. In order to do this, they would torture the heretics. One of the most used methods were the method shown above. This was called Strappado, where a person is hung by their hands and was bounced in order to dislocate the shoulder joints. This obviously made them confess, therefore, it worked for the king and queen.
Knights
Knights were the main source of arms and firepower in medieval times. They followed a code called Chivalry. This code was a way of life for a knight. They would have to first be of noble blood. Then they would train as a page and learn about being loyal, kind and honorable. They also competed in tournaments to test their skills against other knights.
The Papacy
The main religious and political leader for not only the catholic church but also most of Europe. They were powerful leaders and now even has his own country. This means that obviously, they were all a big deal. Also, a good ability that not only he had but the clergy had also was to excommunicate a member of nobility or a clergy member for disrespecting them or God. An excommunicated member would banished out into another society, with him/her not being able to talk with anyone or even look at them. The general populous would not look at him/her either as a shun or banishing.
Manorialism
Manorialism is a system of connections of all the feudal classes in Europe. First, a king would give land, in the form of a manor, to him for fighting in the war or just for working otherwise. These manors were huge areas of land, that had a church, a house for The Lord or noble, a mill, houses for the serfs who served him/her, and a 1st, 2nd, and a 3rd field for crops. It was like a small, self-sustained village that could survive by itself.
The Black Death
Also known as the Bubonic plague, this disease wiped out a third of Europe's population. It was spread by people that got bitten by fleas on black rats. these people, who were trading goods and making contact with others, spread the disease. The infected people died quite quickly so the population decreased majorly. The main effects are fever, buboes or large, puss-filled pimples, and necrosis.
The Rise of Cites
After the Black Death, cites grew. Another great advancement happened. The Medici family, a wealthy family as well, creates the first banks. these allow serfs and peasants to work and get money. also the Manorial system has been discontinued, so many laborers are moving to cities. The banks let them start their lifestyle.