Middle Ages Research Project

Daniel Torres

Encounters 6

Ms. Damante

March 24, 2022

Dark Times In The Middle Ages

Introduction

Feudalism impacted how our government is today.  Feudalism was a big cause for our own government now but was a cruel and unjust system. Merlin was someone who had a lot of power and influence in the Middle Ages. Becoming a Knight was a long and grueling process. The middle ages were a dark and cruel time.

Feudalism

Feudalism was the system of government that made it to where there was always people at the top and always people at the bottom. The people at the top of the Feudal system were kings. The people just below kings was the bishop who was the top leader of the church. Below the Bishop are Barons and Nobles who ruled large areas of land called fiefs. And the people below Barons and Nobles were Lords and Knights and the lords ran the local manor and fought for their king. The people below the Lords and Knights are Peasants/Serfs. Serfs/Peasants worked long days and they worked for 6 days out of the week and normally have barely enough food to survive and they are pledged to their local lord. This quote proves that they did not have a lot to eat, “And often barely had enough food to survive.” (Feudal…)

Although it was a government system followed by all, most did not benefit from feudalism due to the fact that most were slaves forced to work with barely enough food to survive. The only ones who benefited were people from feudalism, the people in the upper ranks. There were really only two ways to move up in ranks if you were at the bottom and one of those ways was to become a knight. The only way to become a knight is to perform an extraordinary feat. Another way to move up in the ranks is to be enobled, but to be enobled you had to be a descendant of other nobles and you had to prove that that your past family was considered noble.

Merlin The Magician

Merlin was an enchanter and wise man from Celtic mythology and Arthurian legend. Merlin was also the advisor to King Arthur’s father and later on King Arthur. Merlin also was the prophet of the Holy Grail. Merlin actually became the prophet of the Holy Grail twice since the first time he became evil and then later on he became good and became the prophet again. Merlin also happened to know magic and witchcraft but unlike many others he was not shamed or killed for it. Merlin also happened to be in the Vulgate Cycle. The Vulgate Cycle is a group of Arthurian romances dating roughly from 1210 to 1230. Robert de boron’s romance added a christian side to merlin which leads back to him becoming the prophet of the holy grail.. One of Merlin’s stories was told by the Welsh antiquary nennius.

Becoming A Knight

Becoming was a very hard and long process that few had to go through due to the special requirements that had to be met to even be selected to go through the process of becoming a knight. The first requirement that had to be met was to perform a heroic or special act. That act could be saving someone or making a good weapon and other things. You also had to be very capable and pretty much couldn’t have any imperfections. The process of becoming a knight was also very dangerous and there was a high chance you could die while training,during a challenge, or during a test. Many tried to become a knight but many failed. Many made it far enough into training to become a squire. Even though people became squires does not mean they became a knight. Because even after becoming a squire it does not mean you are near finishing your training. Another requirement is that you are very strong and athletic due to the extreme environment they are put through. Knights are there to protect the castle or manor. Knight armor was typically made of chainmail, iron, brass, or copper. Lords were typically the commanders over the knights and were the ones to lead them into battle. Squires often were trained by knights and  through experiences similar to what they could go through. Knights would very often die while fighting. Many betrayed their own kingdom or fled due to the environments they were put in. Knights were always young at the start of their knightsmanship. You could still find many old knights but most who had just become a knight were very young due to the fact that you needed to have no imperfections to even try to become a knight. And most who became knights were taken as children so they could start their training very early on, and so they could be the best they could. Squires also often died during training due to the extreme tests tribulations they were put through. The main reason becoming a knight was so hard was because knights were great warriors that would fight till their last breath. In order to make sure of that they had to be trained in the most extreme conditions. Not many people nowadays could become a knight due to the extreme training. Knights were also often executed for disobeying orders or for betraying the kingdom. Knights were typically male due to the fact that back then they were more strong men then strong women. Not to say there weren’t female knights but  males were typically better candidates for becoming a knight. Knights were often very tall and muscular and typically only wore the armor.

Conclusion 

The Middle Ages were a bad time in human history. Feudalism was an important part in our history due to it impacting our government today. Merlin was a very powerful and well known man. Becoming a knight was something that was very hard to do. The Middle Ages was an important part in our history because many things from them affected some of our stuff now.

Works Cited 

“Middle Ages Feudal System.” Ducksters. www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages_feudal _system.php  

Accessed 22 February 2023. 

Ross, David. “Feudalism and Medieval Life.” Britain Express. www.britainexpress.com 

/History/Feudalism_and_Medieval_life.htm Accessed 7 February 2023.

“Merlin The Magician.” King Arthur.  kingarthursknights.com/arthurian-characters/merlin/. Accessed 30 

January 2023

“Merlin Legendary Magician.” Britannica. www.britannica.com/topic/Merlin-legendary-magician. 

Accessed 31 January 2023

“Becoming A Knight.”  Book Source.  drive.google.com/file/d/1DYIPuE99LCASXwqVP5cHnVtD 

n0aPnqf0/view.  Accessed 7 February 2023

“Becoming A Knight.”  Book Source.  drive.google.com/file/d/1DYIPuE99LCASXwqVP5cHnVtD 

n0aPnqf0/view.  Accessed 7 February 2023