Middle+Ages

Activity #1:
Medieval Script

Hi ya’ll my name is Arnold Smith. Welcome to Medieval Times dirty jobs! Today we have Jahara, Petunia and Bambina. First we have Jahara telling us about her dirty job. Hello Jahara, could you tell these folks who you are?

I am a leech collector. A leech is used for medicinal bloodletting by wading into marshes and letting the little bloodsuckers cling to their legs. One leech is uncomfortable; imagine pulling a whole bucketful off your body! The wounds often became infected and bacteria from the leeches could cause nasty stomach upsets.

That’s disgusting and painful!

Yes, it was painful but someone has to do it.

That’s very true. Now here is Petunia telling us about her job as a fuller. Hi there Petunia! Tell us about your job.

I am a fuller, who washed out the grease and impurities from newly woven woolen cloth. The best way to do this was by putting it in a big vat of stale urine, yes urine, and stomping on it for hours on end. The stench was obviously horrendous and, even though my job was mind-numbingly tedious, I couldn’t lose my concentration. Because the process also tightened the weave and thickened the cloth, if it wasn’t treated evenly for exactly the right amount of time, the whole bale could be ruined. Once the cloth was ready, I would rinse it in clean water, carry it up a hill and stretch it out to dry on tenterframes.

Urine? That’s gross! Do your feet hurt after?

After hours of stomping, yes they do hurt quite a bit!

I bet! Next we have Bambina with her unpleasant job. Welcome Bambina!

Nice to meet ya Arny! My job is a rat catcher I work to control rodent populations. My best work was during the plague when survival often depended on catching and killing rats. I use cats and traps to do my work. It is very dirty and unpleasant, but they could earn respectable compensation because their services were so valuable.

Well that’s just fantastic! That’s all we have for today folks and remember DON’T DO DRUGS!

Activity #2:
PowerPoint #1

1) Its architecture was Hellenistic and its road system was as impressive as that of the Inca. 2) Nobody is above the law. Once it is written it must be respected. For example you’re not allowed to drink and drive, and drink underage. These are written laws. 3) The economic system was used for safety and defense. People formed a small communities around a central lord or master. 4) Knights let serfs work the land and he would protect them. 5) 1066, England was invaded by Normans and conquered all of England. 6) Thousands of knights and “barbarian” soldiers united under Christianity attacked Muslims and Jews in Turkey and Jerusalem to gain the land for Christians. 7) Middle Ages. 8) 1215. 9) They spent years transcribing the Bible since the printing press wasn’t used in Europe yet.

PowerPoint #2

Define:

Dark Ages-scholars named this as a time when the forces of darkness overwhelmed the forces of light. Barbarian - Roman Emperors. Heresy- holding beliefs that contradict the official religion. Monks- people who gave up worldly possessions and devote themselves to a religious life. Justinian Code- defined civil law in the Middle Ages and the modern world. Salic Law- assigned a specific financial value to everyone and everything. Primogeniture- system where eldest son inherited everything. Fief- land given by a lord in return for a vassal’s military service and oath of loyalty. Tithe- tax that serfs paid. Serf- villains or common peasants who worked the lords land. Corvee - condition of unpaid labor by serfs. Who Were: St. Augustine- wrote “Confessions” which discussed ideas of ethics, self knowledge, and the role of free will which shaped monastic tradition and the influence of Church. Justinian the Great- Byzantine Emperor Clovis I- he united Frankish tribes and expanded territory Charlemagne- was a military general and restored Pope Leo III who had been exiled William the Conqueror- Questions: 1) The barbarians were roman empires and they granted barbarian mercenaries land with the Roman Empire in return for military service and it was these barbarians who eventually became the new rulers. 2) They basically relied on each other. The church relied on the kings to help secure their rule. And the kings relied on the church to supply educated administrators to help run kingdoms. 3) Monasticism is education, literacy and learning. 4) Feudalism worked because of the notion of mutual obligation, or voluntary co-operation from serf to noble. 5) The plague is a disease is called “black death” because most people die in between 4 to 7 days after infection. It’s caused by fleas and rats the effects are it caused massive depopulation and change in social structure, weakened influence of Church, originated in Asia but was blamed on Jews and lepers. 6) Feudalism was the most important idea because it helps keep things even and peaceful so war isn’t caused.

PowerPoint #3

1) Feudalism was a social, political, and economic system that dominated all aspects of medieval life. 2) The economic portion of feudalism was centered around the lord's estates or manor. 3) Spiritual: Religion was a central part of life for medieval people from baptism to marriage. Secular: In addition to being the social center of the village, the church had economic power and political power. The Church was the largest landholder, gained wealth through tithing and had its own laws and courts which frequently clashed with King’s authority. Some parish priests ran schools.  4) The reasons for the crusades were because the pope wanted to increase his power, nobles wanted to gain wealth, Serfs hoped to escape feudal oppression. 5) This fundamentally altered the way people lived in Europe, and marked the beginning of the end of feudalism as serfs began to pay their feudal obligations with cash instead of service. An economy based on money, not barter emerged. 6) It was a golden age in the arts, literature and sciences. Large city-states in northern Italy, Thriving centers of trade and manufacturing 7) Enjoyment of Worldly Pleasures. 8) Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci 9) Books became more available, literacy increased, ideas spread rapidly. 10) Problems within the church. Corruption among church leaders. Increased fees for marriage, baptism and indulgences for the pardon of sins. 11) Promoted radical idea that faith in God alone, not the Pope granted pardon for sins. 12) Strengthen the Catholic Church and keep Catholics from converting to Protestantism.

Videos: -The black death has its own theme song -This song is 'Ring Around the Rosy' -Lepracey remains the most feared disease next to the black death -The pyamids were built in Ancient Egypt -Superstition was a very strong force -50% of people died from the plague -The plauge was spread primarily through rats -People in the lower classes clothes were mainly made of wool -Royalty were the only people allowed to wear the colour purple or wear velvet -The clothing in the medieval times was strongly influenced by the kings and queens -A flail is a weapon with a handle with a metal ball and a chain attached