DAILY LIFE

Please Read Basic Information First.
BASIC INFORMATION EVERYDAY LIFE NAMES Medieval Christmas
Jewish People Clothing Women Law
Occupations Marriage Village Life Childhood

BASIC INFORMATION:

 The Life of the Average Man:
The lives of men during the Middle Ages was difficult. They had to care for their land, serve as head of their household, and had to be almost entirely self-sufficient. It was necessary to repair their own tools and furniture, build their own homes, and plow fields.  Middle class men often specialized in a certain trade, such as carpentry, and lived within a city's walls. It was fairly commonplace to find an apprentice living in with a family and learning the trade of the man. Less well-off men would not have expected to reach a position of authority or rank anywhere but the church.

The Life of the Average Woman

The woman's work was toilsome as well. They had to tend crops and gardens, work in fields, and take care of the farm animals. Taking care of their children was also a top priority. For the middle class woman, privileges were available to them that men could. A married woman either take responsibility for her actions or put the responsibility on her husband. They also had the option to
choose more than one trade, while men were restrained to one. A life in business offered many freedoms to a woman that were otherwise unavailable. They were able to earn a substantial living on their own.
The Life of the Average Child
A child's life in the Middle Ages is quite different than that of a child today. All children were raised by parents who gave little input when it came to caring for the child. The children were quickly expected to join the adult world. During the Medieval Times, a child was put under complete control of his/her father until the age of 12, when middle class children were put into elementary schools. Only boys were allowed to continue into grammar schools were Latin was taught. Children were taught to be timid and to respect authority. A proverb common to the time period was, "spare the rod and spoil the child."  Peasant children often were raised in their parent's homes it was not uncommon to find a peasant child working at a young age and being completely illiterate.

Everyday Life:

 HWC, Medieval Society   :  Ms. Weidenhaft's personal favorite!  Once again written by Dr. Skip Knox, of Bosie State University.  A MUST SEE SITE.

Everyday Life in the Middle Ages :  This site covers it all:  food, clothing, medicine, heraldry and war.  A MUST SEE SITE.

MEDIEVAL DOMESTIC LIFE :  This page has a little bit of everything concerning medieval daily life.  Lots of links to good information.  A MUST VISIT SITE

 Medieval Period :  Covers lots of areas.

 Life and Manners in the Time of Chaucer :  From Harvard University.

 Daily Life in the Middle Ages :  COOL site!

 Wichamstow :  A great site with lots of information brought to us by Regia Anglorium.

 People of the Middle Ages :  A sociological look at the people of the Middle Ages.  Great descriptions of every strata of society.
 

 Exhibits Collection -- The Middle Ages :  An excellent site which covers feudal life, homes, clothing, religion, health, arts and entertainment and town life.  Well worth a visit.

Ever wonder what life was like in the Middle Ages? :  Good basic information, but hard to read.

 An Introduction to Medieval Society and Feudalism

 An Introduction to the Peasant's Way of Life

 Wharram: a look at peasants in the Middle Ages :  One of the best site on peasant life.

 NetSERF: Medieval Culture :  Lots of good stuff from Netserf.

 Medieval Horse - Very worthwhile spot.
     Learn about tournament horses, horses used in
     the crusades and read about the transition from
     charger to pleasure and work horse. This spot
     will help you understand the importance of the
     horse in history.

 Paris: Urban Sanitation 1200 - 1789 *** Very
     interesting site that resulted from some student
     research. If you do not appreciate living in the
     20th Century -please visit this site and you
     will. Deals with waste management and even
     disposal of corpses.

 Measures for Measures :  A site of medieval measurements.

 Costs and Values:  Look at Medieval economics.

 Medieval Economy -- Money and Trading

 Medieval Economy :  Information on medieval commodities.

 Medieval Economics And Society :  A detailed overview of the social and financial structure.

 Medieval Sourcebook: Economic Life :  Primary source material.

 Medieval Economics for RPG :  Good descriptions of prices and wages.

 Paris at the time of Philippe-Auguste -   :  Read about trade and the marketplace in medieval Paris.








Medieval Christmas:

 Christmas in the Middle Ages :  The customs and rituals of the festive season that date back to the medieval times.

 Christmas in the Middle Ages

 Medieval Christmas Traditions - Medieval History :  Excellent coverage of all aspects.

 A Medieval Christmas

On a Medieval Christmas : A brief article.






Clothing:

 Clothing

 Medieval Clothing Pages: Articles by Cynthia Virtue :  Great site.

 Medieval Clothing

 Misperceptions about Medieval Clothing

Male Clothing and Knightly Armour of the 1250's:  Well-written article by Andrew Goddard describes the costume  worn by a typical knight of the mid-thirteenth century, from his braes to his surcotte. Includes clear illustrations.

 The Middle Ages -- Clothing  and More About Clothing

 Footwear of the Middle Ages  :  This is an extremely informative site.  It covers all aspects of shoes. Information comes from Footwear of the Middle Ages by I. Marc Carlson.

 Ravensgard Costuming and Textiles Page

 Garb for a 12th Century Lady

 Angelcynn — Clothing and Appearance of the Pagan Anglo-Saxons

 An Archaeological Guide to Viking Men's Clothing

 Costume for a 12th Century Lady

Medieval Costume

 The History of Costume by Braun

Childhood:

 Childhood :  Probably would not have been the best of times.

Women:

 Dominion & Domination  Very well done site examining the roles of medieval women from all walks of life.  * Some views are not suitable for educational presentations

 Women in Medieval Society:  Roles, duties, positions and statuses :  Definetly worth a look!

 Medieval Women Writers - Introduction - Daily Life :  Links to images of medieval life.

 Medieval Maids

 Women In The Middle Ages :  Good information and good links.

 Notion of Gender in the Middle Ages: Myth vs. Reality

 Anglo-Saxon Women: More Than Just "Frithuwebbas" :  Article by Cathy Coone-McRary explores women's rights, marriage customs and settlements, legal punishments and more at the Matheliende Newsletter of Anglo-Saxon Studies.

 Women in the Middle Ages

 Were Medieval Women Really Uneducated? :  Contrary to popular opinion, some women in the Middle Ages were educated.

 Woman under Monasticism

 Medieval Women and Music

 Women Artists in the Middle Ages or  Women, Visions, and Art

 Women in Healing and the Medical Profession

 Women Knights of the Middle Ages

 Women Philosophers of the Middle Ages

 Women Pilgrims of the Middle Ages

 Dying to Have a Baby: The History of Childbirth :  This three-page article by Dr. Ian Carr, Professor of Pathology, includes standard childbirth practice in the middle ages and some obstetric developments during the Renaissance.

 Poverty and Women :  Good site.

 Medieval Women

Women and Sports in Medieval Times

 Widowhood

 Women and Brewing in the Middle Ages

 Women's Contact With the Outside World"

Law:

 NetSERF: Medieval Law

 Law and Government : in medieval England and Normandy.

 The Law in Anglo-Saxon England  - Law
     and order in Anglo-Saxon England.

 Censorship in the Middle Ages (1000-1499)

Occupations:

 Medieval Occupations :  This page will blow you away!  Descriptions of LOTS of occupations.

 Medieval Economy -- Medieval Professions :  Some information on the guild systems.

 The Craftsman :  Introduction to craftsmen, training of craftsmen, types of craftsmen and guilds.

 Reginald of Durham: Life of St. Goderic - a 12th century merchant :  Take a look at the real life of a medieval merchant.  Primary source document.

 The Entertainer: Minstrels and Jesters
 

The Farmer :  A good look at his, or her, life.
 

 The Knight :  Introduction to knighthood, on becoming a knight, Chivalry, armor and weapons, and tournaments.

 Working Women in the Middle Ages

 The Lord ( Ruler, Hunter, and Possessions) and  The Lady (Girlhood, Marriage, Childbearing, Duties, Possessions, and Entertainment)

 Men of God: Bishops, Priests, and Monks :  There is a lot of good information on the clergy here.

 The Merchant :  Information trading goods, trading and the city, and the dangers of trading.

 The Soldier :  Basic introduction to medieval soldiering, the archer and crosbowman and the foot soldier.

Marriage:

 Medieval Weddings  - Planning a wedding?
     Then this is your spot. Flowers, Costumes,
     Music, Ceremony ....it's all here, in text only.
     There is even a list of movies containing Medieval
     and Renaissance wedding scenes. A really nice
     site but what a great opportunity to have enriched
     it with art images.

 Marriage and Christianity

 Marriage in the Middle Ages ,  Marriage in the Middle Ages II , and  More Marriage in the Middle Ages

Domestic Violence :  No laws to prevent this back in the Middle Ages.















Village/Town Life:

 Medieval Towns :  A cool site.

 Wichamstow:  You have to check this one out!  Fun for everyone here.

Medieval Village
 

Anglo-Saxon and Viking Houses and Furniture  :  detailed article on Anglo-Saxon England.
 

The Town Wall

 A Peasant's House

 The Middle Ages -- Homes  and  More About Homes :  Really good information here.

 The Middle Ages -- Town Life and   More

 The Town Church and It's Effect on the People

The Jewish People:

 Anti-Semitic Feeling During the Middle Ages :  A must read in order to view the place of the Jews in medieval society.

 Beyond the Pale: Jewish Expulsions and the Black Death

 Beyond the Pale: Anti-Jewish Myths During the Middle Ages

 Beyond the Pale: Jews in the Middle Ages
 Medieval Jewish literature















Medieval Names:

 Medieval Names Archive :   Text only information about the names used during the Middle Ages- List of male and female names. YOU NEED TO SCROLL DOWN ABOUT 3/4 OF THIS PAGE TO GET TO THE NAME LINKS.

 A Brief Introduction to Medieval Bynames :  by Talan Gwynek and Arval Benicoeur   A general discussion of the types of surnames use
in medieval European languages, illustrated with English examples, but also including a bibliography of sources useful for choosing medieval bynames.

 Surnames: What's in a Name? Name Origins & Meanings:  Cool information