Medieval+Life

//**Discuss various aspects of how people lived in the Middle Ages (roles, entertainment, housing, tools, transportation..) **//

To learn about a knight's armour, look here. For lessons on Medieval Life, go here. To learn about life in a monastery, click here. Play the Medieval Game of Life!



The spread of Islam put the Eastern Orthodox Church under pressure. Western lands were still recovering from the fall of the Roman Empire. They were living in a cultural slump known to some as the 'Dark Ages'. The First Crusade ushered in a time of social change and advancement known as the High Middle Ages (see the Wikipedia entry here).

The Manorial System formed the backbone of Feudal society (see the difference between the two in the chart below). The life of a peasant at the bottom of this pile was very harsh. The average person did not have the freedom to travel and many people lived their entire lives on the same plot of land. So when the Church offered a fast track to heaven for anyone who would travel to Jerusalem, many people took the chance. They could either see the Holy City where their lord Jesus walked, or they would grab an opportunity at a better life in a newly-conquered land.