AKS 36a&36b Middle Ages

• Roman Empire Falls in 6th Century CE

• all the stability, services, and knowledge of the classical empires falls with it.

• People move out of cities and into Manors in countryside

• Time of hardship, warfare, poverty, and society stays flat.

• Work and Church are your two major obsessions

• a medieval estate with lots of farmland centered around a large (usually forified) mansion

• Owned and managed by Lords.

• Worked on by Peasants who live on estate in shacks/cottages

• basically a self running town with shops, homes, church, and roads.

• protected by knights

the political structure of most of Medieval Europe was called Feudalism. It is a very rigid social heirarchy based upon wealth and power

• ran the entire kingdom (small regional kingdoms)

• Reported to by Nobles (lords)

• Very wealthy and powerful (only in their lil country)

• Noble wealthy Manor owners

• often related to or friends with king

• hired knights and peasants

• held power over their entire estate but answered to king

• Soldiers of Noble birth

• spend years training and serving under knights to learn

• special forces of the middle ages

• often served as hired muscle, police force, security, and mercenaries in spare time.

• lowest class

• poor laborers who worked land for nobles and knights

• had fewest rights and lowest wealth

• largest social class

• called "Serf" when contractually tied to Manor

• dominated everyday life in middle ages

• only group who got wealthier, and more powerful during dark ages.

• had political power even over kings.

• monastery's were the only real education centers and libraries of the time.