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*trade
*independence
*used to live in random areas.

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Trade and the growth of the medieval towns
*Ancient towns were busy trading centers
*independence
*people who sometime live everywhere.

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Living in a medieval village

In medieval times most of the population lived in medieval villages. A medieval knight was usually the most important person in a medieval village and it was commonly referred to as the Lord of the Manor. It was the medieval knight who owned all the land within a medieval village.

The peasants living in a medieval village had to be given permission from the knight to be able to work on any of his land and peasants called villeins had to work part-time for the Lord of the Manor. Some peasants who were called freemen got a slightly better deal as they could pay money or give food to the Lord for their land.

The layout of the medieval village

Usually on a hill within the village overlooking the village would be a medieval castle where the nobleman would live, near to this would be the Lord of the Manor's Manor house. The Lord of the manor would often go hunting on the fields around his manor. Near to the town would usually be a windmill where medieval people living in the medieval village would be grinding grain that would be consumed in the village. Most medieval villages had an animal pound where stray animals were kept, there was usually a fee to release them. No self-respecting village would be complete without a medieval church and there was usually a priest's house nearby. Most medieval villages would have a village green, a well for the drinking water, stables for horses, a stream in which to fish, a blacksmith, carpenters house, beehives and the all-important medieval inn were a medieval people could drink away all their problems with a jug of ale.

Life in a medieval village - Farming

Most villages in medieval England had a least three large fields which were planted with wheat and barley. Nothing was planted in the third field and it was left empty (fallow) the reason for this was that was always a need to have one spare field available for planting the following year. These fields were divided up into sections for different families to work on and grow their own crops. Usually a medieval family would have more than one section of the field in which to grow their crops.

Life in a medieval village - peasants homes

Medieval peasants living in a medieval villages lived in cottages which were fairly basic, there was no glass in the windows and they usually had bare floors. In the thatched roof of a medieval peasant home would be a smoke hole that released the smoke from cooking on the stone fireplace. The building structure of a medieval peasants home was a timber frame, and the walls were made using a technique called wattle and daub which was basically covering twigs with mud and straw. Medieval people would sleep on straw mattresses and animals would live in stables or inside the house. Tools and equipment were hanging on the walls, food for winter was stored in the roof area. And clothes were kept in wooden chests.

Life in a medieval village - Food

Medieval people living in a medieval village including peasants had a reasonable diet that included bread, fruit, vegetables, porridge and stew, this was usually accompanied by a drink of water and beer. In medieval times meat, fish and eggs were expensive and were classed as a luxury item. Peasant farmers who had Cows and could make cheese usually sold this at local markets due to the price that they could obtain for these luxury items.

Life in a medieval village - Medieval Fairs

Medieval fairs usually held on the village green at least once a year and were equally anticipated by the medieval people. Traveling merchants would arrive at these medieval fairs bringing with them various items to sell including clothing and food, the merchants would also buy items from the medieval villages to sell themselves in the future. There was plenty of entertainment at medieval fairs such as jugglers, wrestling games, dancing bears, magicians, musician and others who all entertain the crowds.

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life in a medieval village peasants homes

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life in a medieval village - medieval fairs

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Life in a medieval village was hard for peasants, however Noblemen and Lords had a higher standard of living. Life in a medieval village was very organised and everything people required was available in the medieval village. Learn more about life in a medieval village for Lords and Life in a medieval village for peasants.

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as trade and commerce grew, so did towns.
these included everyday item, like food, clothing, and household items.

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-Towns grew because of improvement of agriculture, and trade.
- When towns grew wealthier, they resented lord's feudal rights
- Power shifted from feudal lords to merchants and craftspeople

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The growth of medieval towns
*one reason for their growth was improvement in agriculture.
*farmers were clearing forests and adopting farming methods.
*Another reason is the revival of trade.

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- All medieval towns were surrounded by thick stone walls for protection
- Streets were very narrow
- no garbage collection

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- Most merchants who sold items in towns became permanent residents.
- Towns became wealthier because people specialized in making certain goods.
- Towns were in a monarch, noble, or church official's domain.

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-Towns were growing again with improvements in agriculture.
-Trade was increasing with Venice and europe.
-People struggled to be independent from their lords
-Violence broke out and some were peaceful by purchasing charters.
-Power from feudalism was decreasing and class of merchants are rising.