Textbook notes review/ powerpoint

THE MIDDLE AGES

Today in class we went over our notes that we took the other night. We talked about what we said and how we are supposed to put the notes in our own words. But, unfortunately, none of us did that. We talked about a few new vocabulary words also. We learned that Christendom- is a combination of Christianity and kingdom we also learned that taxes/ tithe is giving 10% of what you earned from work and giving it to the church. We also learned that the eastern roman empire is known as the Byzantine Empire. In the roman empire, we learned that they were speaking Greek instead of Latin. 

- Socrates

- Plato 

- play writes

• you need to know how to speak and read Greek in order to do what these people did in their time period. 
• if we (people from this age) were alive back in the middle ages:
• we would not be going to school 
• we would learn to become a butcher (for boys) a house wife or being able to to take care of a family (women)
• we would learn from our parents 
• in order to learn and progress in the middle ages:
• we would need to know how to read or write 
• romans were not in the center of trade or in social life
• life back then in the Middle Ages was a lot more civilized than we thought it was 
• had a lot cleaner civilization 

POWERPOINT

• feudalism: a political, military, and economic system based on land-holding and protective alliances 
• in other words: the system is based on personal loyalty to people who can help you
• RICH DUDE (LORD): "I own land; I need people to help me work it and defend it"
• TOUGH DUDES (VASSALS): "there are a lot of us, we can help the rich dudes hold on to their land"

THE FEUDAL PYRAMID 

                                            - king

          - the most powerful VASSALS (nobles and bishops)

       -knights- mounted warriors who received FIEFS for defending                                        their lord's lad 

                           - PEASANTS (mostly SERFS)

            landless, powerless, moneyless, rights-less just working the                                land for "the man" (their lord)

• MANOR- the lord's estate 
• the lord's manor house
• a church
• some workshops
• 15-30 families
• all on a few square miles
• good news: it's a self-sufficient community
• bad news: it's harsh if you're a peasant

HOW HARSH WAS IT?

• peasants are poor AND pay high taxes
• tax on grain
• tax on marriage
• church tax (tithe= 10% of their income)
• the live in crowded cottages
• live with animals and insects 
• eat VERY simply
• but don't worry- the church says this is your lot in life
• God determines your place in society- so chill