Life in the Middle Ages

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Middle Ages � PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT �1�

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Western Humanities HUM 206

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Life in the Middle Ages

Some people would like to call "The Middle Ages" something of an exciting or epic time, but for most commoners life was just normal. People in these times spent hours of their day trying to grow food, so they could survive each year. The churches put together feasts for both peasants and royalty to mark the day when harvesting grain and scattering seed began. This was also a day when people could rest from all of their hard work and labor.

A major difference in their time that is not like ours is the social events that took place. Imagine a time when every person in each town got together to celebrate a holiday or an event, and ones who did not attend would get shunned for it. These social events were basically fairs, where people could socialize and have a good time.

Communication outside of their village or town came from traveling merchants or crusaders. The only way the people really got to learn of other cultures and beliefs was from traveling merchants or crusaders who came to their villages to share their experiences. The sharing of knowledge and experiences led to the creation and import of new foods from other countries. It also led to the beginning of schools and universities.

The schools were far from perfect, being led by the church at all times. The French ruler Charlemagne ordered that all catholic churches and monasteries create a school at or near their headquarters in the 800's. The rule was made only for boys who wanted a free education and who were dedicated enough to follow a demanding line of courses. These courses were grammar, Latin, rhetoric, logic, philosophy,