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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Feudal System - Nishna
2. A Peasants Life - Preston
3. Clothes - Bodza
4. Castle Defenses - Abel
5. Castle Battles & Siege - Andriy
6. Castles - DaEun
7. Music and Instruments - Lara
8. Entertainment - Thessa
9. Medieval Feast - Khadija
10. Food - Andrew
11. Deadly Disease - Felix
12. Doctors and Medicine - Nalini
13. Crusaders - Cael
14. 100 Years War - Rushil
15.Torture & Punishment - Patrick
16.Medieval Banquet Movie
(iBook Only)
17.Bibliography
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CHAPTER 1
FUEDAL SYSTEM
BY: NISHNA
What would your life be
like if you were a king or a
noble or a peasant? In
Medieval times you were
born into a life of power or
poverty and it was
impossible to move from
one to another. In this
chapter I will tell you how
people in the medieval
society used to live.
SECTION 1
Queen
Queens used to take care of the palace while the
king was away. A queens primary duty was to
provide a male heir to the kingdom. In some cases
queens also acted as a regent in the absence of the
king. They used to sew and mend the kings
clothes, pay homages to the poor, take care of the
education of their daughters if they had any. They
said prayers at the beginning and the end of the
day. They also used to practice arts.
SECTION 2
SECTION 3
CHAPTER 2
A PEASANTS LIFE
BY: PRESTON
It was such a hard life being a
peasant in Medieval Times.
Everything including sheep, fields,
cows, and homes were actually
owned by the lord of the manor. A
peasant was also known as a serf or
villein. Peasants were bound to
work for their lord who allowed
them to farm. The peasants were at
the bottom of the feudal system and
had to obey their local lord no
matter what. They lived on the lords
property. Peasants were very poor.
In this chapter you will learn more
about the life of a peasant.
SECTION 1
Homes
Peasant lived in simple homes, the walls often made from something called wattle
and daub. Branches were woven together and covered with a mixture of mud,
straw, dung and clay. The floor is just bare earth. It is not very comfortable.
Taxes
The one thing they had to do in England was to pay taxes or rent. To make it more
difficult they also had to pay a tax to the church called a tithe. This was a tax on the
products that they produced.
Farming
Peasants were bound to work for their lord, who allowed them to farm their own
piece of the lords land in return. They had to work very hard with no break.. It was
difficult for them to make enough food to feed their families and they also had to
give more than half of their crops to the lord. They could not leave the manor
without permission, or they would get into lots of trouble. The only way for a
peasant to receive his freedom was by saving enough money to buy a plot of land,
or by marrying a free person. It looks like today where you have to pay a lot of
taxes.
8
Clothing
Peasants clothes were made out of linen. They might wear a
cheap pin for good luck and they had a straw hat and woolen
split hose so they would not get hot. Peasants had to spin
wool into cloth and make their own clothes. When it was
cold they would wear a sheepskin cloak.
CHAPTER 3
CLOTHES
BY: BODZA
In the Middle Ages clothes
were very different. The
clothes in Middle Ages showed
if the women are married or
not. They also showed a
persons place in society, if they
were rich or poor. Only the
rich would wear clothes made
of beautiful cloth, and the rich
would never be seen in
peasants clothes. In this
chapter you will find out about
shoes, womens clothing, mens
clothing and hats.
SECTION 1
Shoes
Most shoes were made out of leather. The so called Scorpion
tail shoes became popular in early 12th-century. Peasants wore
leather boots for hard work. A Noble man wore leather boots
too. Nobel womens shoes were made out of buckled leather
and had thin soles. They attached a wooden pattern to it. They
wore woolen stockings over the knee to keep feet and legs
warm.
11
SECTION 2
Womens Clothing
Women had leather
dresses. On the dress
they had leather purse
that serves as a
pocket, and prayer
beads were kept in
their belt. Under their
dresses they had Tshirts called Linen
shift. They also have
Linen hats. Womens
dresses didnt have
zippers. They only
12
SECTION 3
Mens Clothing
Most of the mens shoes were made out of leather.
There were long boots and small shoes. Some men
had T-shirts made out of wool. Also men had hats
made out of straw and felt. On the mens T-shirts
they had buttons. On their belts they had a leather
pouch. In it they had a knife and small rock to
make fire. Their belts were made of leather too. On
the mens tunic they always had a sign. They also
had a cape and a helmet. And on their tunic they
had belts too.
13
SECTION 4
Hats
14
CHAPTER 4
CASTLE DEFENSES
BY: ABEL
The castle was a very
important part of the
middle ages, and it
was constantly under
attack so the people
always had to defend
it. In this chapter you
will read about how
people protect it.
SECTION 1
The rampart was a big and wide ditch before the moat.The attacking army
would have to climb its way down and then back up again. This would kill
the foot soldiers. Since their armor was very heavy they would fall down
and get trampled by the horses and the cannons.
Inside the castle were tiny holes for the bowmen to shoot through and
when guns were invented the gunmen could shoot but not be shot.
16
The keep protected the king and his family. The keep
could have a smaller moat around it, or a very very very
deep hole around the castle.
armor was very heavy they would fall down and get trampled
by the horses and the cannons.
The rampart was a big and wide ditch before the moat.The
attacking army would have to climb its way down and then
back up again. This would kill the foot soldiers. Since their
Now that you know about the defenses of a castle you can
defend it and stay safe!!!
17
CHAPTER 5
CASTLE BATTLES
& SIEGE
BY: ANDRIY
SECTION 1
Plan of Attack
French soldiers dug a tunnel under the first wall. After, they made a door so that
other soldiers could pass. But if they were digging another tunnel they would come
out right in front of the soldiers defending the castle, and
they decided to go around to the other side. They dug the
tunnel and approached the soldiers from the back and
killed them. Finally, they killed everybody in the castle.
Siege Tower
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Knights in a Battle
Many knights died from the big battles and not from disease.
In our time, people can get sick from a disease or die from it
but our doctors and hospitals can help us. In medieval times
a person could easily die from wounds suffered in battle after
saving his kingdom. Knights always fought on the orders of
the king. When there was an attack many knights would go
off to battle, and often very few returned.
Richard I (Lionheart)
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CHAPTER 6
CASTLES
BY: DAEUN
Have you ever heard about
Medieval castles? Did you ever
wonder about what they looked
like in the Middle Ages? In the
Middle Ages, the castles were
built to protect the king, queen,
and nobles. Over several
centuries, the castles started
changing their shape as they
became stronger and better for
protection. In this chapter I will
describe the rooms in the castle,
and what they were for.
SECTION 1
Inside the
By the 13th century, the castles were
built in stone, which made better
protection for the king and queen.
First at the very top floor, there is a
room for king, and queen. This is where
they would sleep and do their work.
Under, there is a place called the Chapel.
Below, there is a place called the Hall. This is
where the king and queen would enjoy their
meal. Next to the hall, there is a bathroom.
At the very bottom, there is a place called the
storeroom where they keep food and drinks.
Next to the storeroom, there is a place called a
Dungeon. This is where they would hold bad
people and enemies.
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SECTION 2
Defense
Attack
........................................
Ladder
.....................................
Siege tower
23
.....................................
.............................
Fire was mostly used when the castles were entirely built in
wood. Ladders were used by those attacking a castle to climb
walls and breaking them. The strong man would climb the
walls and fight. While the strong men were fighting, the
other men would break the walls with the hammers while
climbing on the ladders. Also, siege towers were used to
enter the castle.
Its designed to protect the soldiers that are attacking the
wall of a castle. The siege tower was usually a tall,
rectangular construction with four wheels and the height is
mostly equal to the wall or sometimes higher.
At the top of the siege tower, there is a big container. In front
of the container, there is a drawbridge which keeps the
soldiers safe and still attack.
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CHAPTER 7
SECTION 1
26
SECTION 2
+ Flute: similar
to our modern
flutes. This
type of
instruments
were played by
flute- minerals
of Medieval
Times.
+Trumpet:
Long
instrument
made out of
metal, often in
four parts. The
associated with
fanfare and
pageants. If
there was a
ceremony or a
+Viol: Viols were played with a bow and held on the lap or between the legs.
+Harp: The harp was the favorite instrument of troubadours and minstrels and
it was about 30 inches in length.
+Fiddle: There were a variety of Medieval Fiddles which were played with a
bow or plucked and usually held under a chin or in the crook of the arm. They
were easily portable and it was the most popular musical street instrument.
dinner for a king they hung the coat of arms on the trumpets.
Guitar
27
Guitar
The guitar is a stringed instrument played with our fingers or a plectrum
(guitar pick). Instruments like the guitar have been popular for about 5000
years: wall paintings in Egypt show woman playing music instruments like the
guitar from the time of the Pharaohs, but the name guizar first appears from
a Spain in the 13th century. The word guitar comes from an Arabic word
called gitara, the name of an instrument that they brought into Spain by the
Moors after the 10th century. Guitars have frets on the fingerboard, to show
where the fingers should go.
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SECTION 3
More Instruments
Medieval Musical instruments,including the
English Horn,would be used by the musicians
of the period including the Waits, Minstrels
or Troubadours. There were three categories
of musical instruments in the Middle Ages wind, string and percussion. Terms of
description were Bas instruments and Haut
instruments. Bas referred to soft instruments
(literally, "low," but referring to volume, not
pitch) which were suitable for the chamber
which included the vielle, rebec and other
bowed strings, the lute and other plucked
strings.The Haut referred to loud instruments
(literally "high" because they were loud and
were suitable for outdoors which included the
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SECTION 4
Shawn
The shawm was a Renaissance
musical instrument of the woodwind
family, made in Europe from the late
13th century till the 17th century. It
is in the same family as the modern
oboe. It had a long bore (looks like a
thing that you dug) which started
straight but widened into a conical
end, and had a double reed. It
produced a loud shrill tone, and was
used by military bands during the
Crusades, as well as in ordinary life
for dancing.
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CHAPTER 8
ENTERTAINMENT
BY: THESSA
When you think about Medieval
Times, do you think of dungeons
and slaves? Well they also had
parties and they played games and
sports. On special days they had
fun events and fairs. This chapter is
about all the fun things they do for
kids and adults. Maybe you can play
these games. You're also going to
learn about troubadours and what
their songs were about.
Medieval Fairs
SECTION 1
If there was a feria (fairs) people did not have to work, they
got to buy amazing goodies such as food, supplies, instruments
and so on. One of the most common things they sold was wool
so people could make clothes.
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SECTION 2
Medieval Games
Fun game and sports were
checkers, chess,
blind-mans bluff, wrestling
archery, swimming,
card games, gambling dice,
gameball, early
soccer, alquerques, fox and
geese,hop scotch,
pick up the stick, tennis and
horse races.
My favorite game out of the
list is archery.
Whats your favorite?
You might wonder what
blinds man bluff, Well you
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SECTION 3
Troubadours
Troubadours went around singing songs about love. In
the Medieval times people married for their land and
riches. Troubadours were the first people who sang
about love as we think about it now. Here is an
example of a song its called Strambotti Siciliani
CHAPTER 9
MEDIEVAL FEAST
BY: KADIJA
Juggling, food , entertainment are
all part of a medieval feast.
Medieval feasts were held on
special days like when the king or
queen had visitors. Cooks
decorated their food with fruits
and feathers so the food looked
beautiful . Medieval feasts were
held in the great hall in a castle. .
Special guests would eat on high
tables and less important people
were on a low tables. In these next
few pages you are going to learn all
about a medieval feast, the foods
you serve and more.
The Food
SECTION 1
36
SECTION 2
A Feast
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CHAPTER 10
Food
By: Andrew
Is pigeon pie your idea of a delicious
meal? It sounds quite gross to me.
What you ate in Medieval Times
depended on your position in society.
The wealthy people ate a lot of very
rich food and very few vegetables.
Normally if you were a peasant you
would eat what you could grow.
Peasants actually had a healthier diet
than some of the richer nobles. In this
chapter I will talk about food that
people ate in Medieval Times and how
it was prepared. You will find that a
lot of the food is very different to
what we eat today.
SECTION 1
INGREDIENTS
Some of the herbs they used to cook with in Medieval Times were sage, mint, rosemary and
parsley. These herbs were used to add flavor.
They ate fresh river trout and boar, deer, peacocks and pigeons. Barley, oats and rye were
eaten among the poor people, and wheat for the rich. It was eaten as bread, porridge, gruel
and pasta.
KITCHEN AT THE CASTLE
The ground floor was usually where the kitchen and storerooms were found. The castle
kitchens included cooking ovens for baking and fireplaces for smoking and roasting food.
They also had a water supply completed with a sink and drainage.
The kitchen was built against the wall of the castle. In some castles they kept a storeroom
full of salt for preserving their food because they did not have refrigerators. Kitchens were
usually situated some distance from the great hall and therefore food was generally served
cold.The number of daily meals eaten during the day was most likely three.
MEALS
The number of daily meals eaten during the day was three but it varied depending on how
wealthy people were, if they were rich they were able to afford good meals.
BREAKFAST. The lord ate breakfast between 6 and 7 in the morning. He might have
white bread; three meat dishes; three fish dishes and wine or ale to drink.
Peasants had breakfast at sunrise. It would consist on dark bread with ale to drink.
40
DINNER. The lord had dinner between 11 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. They had
three courses but each course might have between four to six dishes in it! It could be meat and
fish with wine and ale. They ate only small parts from each dish and the rest was meant to be
thrown away, that was a lot of wasting, but the servants ate the rest sometimes.
Peasants would eat dinner about 11 to 12 oclock. This was their lunch and it was eaten in the
fields where the peasant was working. They have dark bread and cheese, that was it, but they
were lucky, they might have some meat.
SUPPER.
For a lord supper would be eaten between 6 and 7 in the evening. It would be very similar to
the dinner but with slightly more unusual dishes such as pigeon pie, woodcock and sturgeon.
Wine and ale would also be available.
FEASTS
Many guest were shown to their table after washing their hands at the entrance of the main
hall. At the start of the medieval feast the food was brought from the kitchen. The medieval
feasts included two, three, four, five, even six courses. There were jugglers and acrobats. A
feast would be very involved and the cook would serve wild game, fish, vegetables, fruit both
dried and fresh and something for dessert. There was no tableware only knives and fingers to
get food.
Every person had their own knife, spoons were barely used as any liquid was drunk from a
cup. Forks were not introduced until the late 14th century.The finest plates of gold or silver
were displayed on the buffet and the servants served for them.
For peasants the last meal would be eaten towards sunset, so this would vary with the seasons.
The main meal was vegetable pottage. Again if the family as lucky there might be some meat
or fish to go round. Bread would be available and ale.
41
CHAPTER 11
DEADLY DISEASE
BY: FELIX
Black stowaway rats crawl on board
Italian ships on the water toward
Europe. These terrible black rats
carry a very deadly and contagious
disease that you will not likely
survive. It killed about 200 million
people in Europe from 1328 to 1351.
Although it was so deadly, if
somehow or another you survived
the terrible plague you had more
chance of living longer. In this
section you will learn all about the
cures the doctors tried on people
and much more that the black
plague did to people.
SECTION 1
43
SECTION 2
SECTION 3
How Was It
Transmitted?
The terrible plague was
very contagious and
here are some of the
ways that it could get
spread. Bacteria was
very dangerous you
could get it so easily.
All the liquids we have
like sweat, tears, blood
and even urine, even
with poo you could get
it. Also there is a very
weird way. Say if you
45
SECTION 4
More Facts
One third of the people who had the
plague died within 3 to 4 days! In
Europe 20 million people died but in
the world 500 million. The bubonic
plague was mostly found under the
armpit or thigh and people hid it and
the only time you could see it was at a
swimming pool, gymnasium or
changing room. The bubonic plague
started in central Asia and then spread
to mostly everywhere around the
world.
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CHAPTER 12
Doctors and
Medicine
By: Nalini
Imagine walking along a dirty street with
sick and dying people around you. The
smell is terrible and hygiene is non
existent. It is hard to find clean water for
washing and drinking which is why so
many people got sick. There wasnt a lot
of medicine back in the Middle Ages.
Doctors in the Middle Ages didnt know
much about medicine and they didnt
have lots of equipment like we have in
todays world so it was really hard
sometimes for the patients to heal. The
Catholic church was very powerful in
that period of time, they believed that
illnesses were punishments from God. In
this chapter you will learn more about
doctors and medicines in the Middle
Ages.
SECTION 1
48
SECTION 2
Potions, Medicine,and
Illness
Bloodletters and wise
woman also tried to cure
illnesses with potions or
songs. The medicine had a
horrible taste and often
had things like blood or
animal droppings in them.
Back in the middle ages
people didnt know how
diseases spread but
thought that people were
sick from bad breath and
terrible smell. Because of
that people started to think
that if they scented the air
49
Medicine
Medicine in the middle ages wasnt a very popular thing
but they did have some, however it isnt like what we
have like today. The medicine was made out of all
different kinds of plants. These are some medicines in
the middle ages:
Lung problem-liquorice and comfrey
Stomach ache-mint,balm and wormwood
Headache-roses and lavender
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CHAPTER 13
CRUSADERS
BY: CAEL
Imagine if you were sent on a
Crusade to capture Jerusalem a holy
city that Christians and Muslims
pray. Youll need to free Jerusalem
from Saladin's army of Muslim. The
bad thing is the heavy armour, burns
in the heat, the horses get tired,
there is limited food, and people get
seasick from boat traveling Also its
cold in the winter and hot in the
summer, and there is lots of walking.
Being on a Crusade is hard. In
this chapter I will try to answer
some of your questions about the
Crusades.
SECTION 1
52
CHAPTER 14
SECTION 1
54
SECTION 2
King Richard II
King Richard was
born on Jan, 6, 1367.
He was crowed in
the year 1377. His
parents are the Black
Prince and Joan of
Kent. King Richard
succeed his grandfather when he was only ten years old. But
in 1394 he leads the English army to reconquer the west part
of Ireland. Surprisingly he married Isabella daughter of the
French King and also signs a 28 year truce with France. He
died on Feb, 14, 1400. After he died Henry IV became king
of England.
Henry IV
He was born on April 4, 1366. King Henry was crowned
king Oct 13, 1399.
King Henry was crowned white king 1 year before King
Richard died. King Henry was the one who got King
Richard imprisoned, and King Richard is King Henry's
cousin so King Henry imprisoned his own cousin. King
Henry had 5 sons including Henry V he also had two
daughters. He died March 20, 1413.
56
CHAPTER 15
TORTURES AND
PUNISHMENTS
BY: PATRICK
The servant could hear screams coming
from the dungeon. He had seen one
common torture device called the rack
and he was still frightened from that one
experience.In the Middle Ages tortures
and punishments were VERY harsh. In
this chapter you will find out about all
kinds of gory punishments and tortures in
the Middle Ages. Including impaling,
which was when the victim has a wooden
pole stuck through their body vertically.
Vlad the Impaler (also known as
Dracula) did that to almost all of his
victims. You will find more info about this
nasty character later. Can you believe that
some punishments were even worse, most
would result in death.
SECTION 1
Hanging
One way of hanging is strappado. This was
used by the Spanish Inquisition. (S.I.) The
victim's arms would be tied behind their
back and they would then be suspended by
their wrists. This would dislocate the arms
because they would bend the wrong way
and the shoulder joints would pop.
The other way of hanging is squassation. In
this form of hanging the victim would be
hung by their wrists and they would have
more and more weights hung from them.
58
SECTION 2
Impaling
The Guillotine
SECTION 3
60
SECTION 4
The Tub
61
SECTION 5
Burning
62
SECTION 6
Cement Shoes
The victims feet would be placed inside cinder blocks.
Then they would pour wet cement inside the cinder
shoes. They would let the cement dry then throw the
victim (alive) into a deep body
of water. The cement and
63
SECTION 7
The Head
Crusher
64
SECTION 8
The Saw
65
Rat Torture
SECTION 9
66
SECTION 10
The Rack
The victim was tied to a wooden board.
One rope at the top, and one rope at the
bottom. The person who is torturing the
victim will then turn a wheel round and
round which will then pull on the ropes
and dislocate the victims joints.
67
68
SECTION 11
MEDIEVAL BANQUET
Grade 4, AISB
lxix
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