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The Middle Ages

The document discusses the history and design of coats of arms, including the meanings associated with different colors and symbols used. It also describes tournaments, jousts and melees that were popular competitions among knights during the Middle Ages. The codes of chivalry that knights were expected to live by are listed as well.

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18 views5 pages

The Middle Ages

The document discusses the history and design of coats of arms, including the meanings associated with different colors and symbols used. It also describes tournaments, jousts and melees that were popular competitions among knights during the Middle Ages. The codes of chivalry that knights were expected to live by are listed as well.

Uploaded by

ale maio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1

DESIGNING A COAT OF ARMS

The original coats of arms had fairly simple designs. As there became more
and more coats of arms, the designs became more complicated in order for
each one to be unique. All coats of arms have certain elements, however.

● Escutcheon: it is the main shape of the coat of arms. It was in the


shape of a shield, but the exact shape could vary.
● Field: the background color. At first the field was a solid color, but later
patterns began to be used for the field.
● Charge: the main picture in the center of the coat of arms. It was
usually an animal, but could be others things such as a sword or a ship.
● Ordinaries: designs that appeared on the field. They added additional
color and uniqueness to the coat of arms.

WHAT DID THE COLOR MEAN?

● Gold: generosity
● White: peace, sincerity
● Purple: justice
● Blue: strength, loyalty
● Black: grief, knowledge
● Lilac: victorious, patient
● Red: warrior, military strength
● Green: hope, loyalty in love, joy
● Orange: ambition

WHAT DID DIFFERENT CHARGES MEAN?

The charges used as the main figure in the coat of arms had different
meanings as well. For example, the lion stood for majesty and strength, the
elephant for wit and ambition, the boar for courage and ferocity, and the sun
for power and glory.

2
TOURNAMENTS, MELEES AND JOUSTS

TOURNAMENTS

Tournaments were pretend battles between groups of knights When a town or


area would have a tournament they would invite knights from other areas. The
battle took place on a large field. On the day of the tournament, a large crowd
would gather to watch There would ever be stands built where the local nobles
could sit to watch. Tournament were dangerous The lances used were blunted
so that knights would not be killed, but many were still injured The best knight
from each side was often awarded a prize.

JOUSTS

Jousting was another very popular competition among knights during the
Middle Ages. A Joust was where two knights would charge each other and try
to knock the other off their horse with a larice. Jousting was the highlight of
many games and events. The winners were heroes and often won prize money

MELEES

Melee was combat between two teams of knights and squires. The goal was to
capture the flag each knight and squire had on their back They wore armor and
used swords, axes and clubs to do this. Broken bones and deaths were
common

CHIVALRY

Knights were expected to behave a certain way This was called the Code of
Chivalry. The ideal knight would be humble, loyal fair, Christian and have good
manner. Some of the main codes which knights tried to live by

● To follow the church and defend it with his life


● To protect woman and the weak
● To serve and defend the king
● To be generous and honest
● To never lIe
● To live by honor and for glory
● To help widows and orphans

3
DAILY LIFE

FOOD
Peasants generally ate bread and stew Other foods like meat, cheese
and eggs were usually saved for special occasions. The nobles ate a wide
variety of food, including meats and sweet puddings People mostly drank
wine. The water was bad and would make them sick. However, they
could boil water to drink it sometimes

CLOTHES
The Crusaders brought back beautiful materiais, made of silk and cotton
from the Middle East. Velvet was used in Italy, and was brought back to
the rest of Europe as well. The nobles dyed their clothes in rich colors,
But except for the very wealthy most people continued to make clothing
from wool and linen Winter clothes were lined with fur from squirrels and
other animals, for extra warmth.
Women wore long dresses. Men wore tunics and hose (long stockings
that reached the waist). During winter months, people wore cloaks, wool
hats and mittens Shoes were usually leather. The nobles wore soft
slippers indoors. Noble women wore elaborate hats.
Peasants and serfs made jewelry from clay or from whatever material
they could atford Wealthy people and nobility wore Jewelry such as
rings, bracelets pins, and brooches Later during the Middle Ages, knights
were not allowed to wear rings.

EDUCATION
Most peasants leave their job and how to survive from their parents.
Some children learned a craft through apprenticeship and the guild
system. Wealthy children often learned through tutors. They would go to
live in the castle of another lord where they would work for the lord,
learning about how a large manor was run.

There were some schools run by the Church. Here students would learn
to read and write Latin. The first universities also began during the
Middle Ages, University students would study a wide range of subjects
including reading, writing, logic, math, music, astronomy, and public
speaking Cities grew by attracting the attention of young nobles who
wanted to study.

4
BLACK DEATH

In late 1347, the Black Death killed approximately 30 to 45% of the


European population (although some people say it was about 60%). No
one knew what caused the plague so people in the Middle Ages tried a
number of methods to combat the disease but they didn't help. The only
thing people could do was to simply run away from any place that was
infected. It lasted til 1953 and it is estimated that between 75 and 200
million people died from it

What is 1?

The Black Death is a bacterial disease which causes three different types
of plague bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, and septicemic plague.

How Was It Spread?

The Black Death moved quickly across Europe, entering through port
cities on the coasts and moving inland, Fleas, which carried the illness,
leapt on rats, which in turn carried these eas around on mainland Europe
from ships entering ports. People who were already living in poor
conditions caught the illness and an enormous percentage of Europe's
population died as a result

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