Middle Ages Research Project

Introduction

Something that I found interesting about the Middle Ages is that there are many things to talk about and there are many myths, legends, symbols, and more that originated from this age. One of the most important things in the middle ages was the feudal system that was how everyone was ranked. Shields were very important since they were very useful back then because they were to protect, attack in groups, and distinguish each knight from another. Dragons were also a very interesting myth/legend since they were different types because they could be good, bad, large, big, a big snake, a big lizard, and much more.So, in the middle ages there were many interesting things that you could learn about like myths, legends, equipment, or even how things worked/were organized back then.

Feudalism

First, feudalism was how they ranked people in the Middle Ages. Back in the Middle Ages Feudalism was how they ranked people like peasants, knights, barons, nobles, and kings. This was done to give services for land since land was granted to people for their services.   The feudal system worked by ranking every person in categories like peasants, knights, barons, nobles, and kings. The feudal system was made to grant land for their services and to separate people.

Also, the feudal system worked by organizing people in ranks, the peaseans, serfs, knights, lords, barons, nobles, bishops, and kings and queens. The higher rank you are, the more powerful you are. If you are a peasant, serf, or knight you can have a rough life.“Most of the people living in the Middle Ages were peasants, they had a hard, rough life,” (Middle). “Peasants had a hard life, but they did not work on Sundays or on the frequent saints' days, and they could go to nearby fairs and markets,” (Feudalism). If you were a lord, baron, or noble you could own peasants and land. If you were a bishop you could be rich since you get 10 percent tithe from all people. Finally, if you are a king or queen you ruled the kingdom and owned much land, knights, and power.

In the feudal system you could benefit or suffer. Some suffer like the peasants, serfs, or knights. Others get benefited like the lords, barons, nobles, and the kings and queens. The peasants and serfs suffer since they could be threatened like slaves by higher ranks or just have a rough life, and knights suffer because they could be called to battle any moment. Lords, barons, and nobles got benefited since they could own land, peasants, and more benefits. Kings and queens were the most powerful since they ruled the whole kingdom and almost all the other ranks.

Feudalism ended when the middle ages ended and got replaced by capitalism. After the middle ages feudalism ended because of the changes in economy and politics. The feudalism also ended because of wars, magna carta, and ranks like nobles challenging kings.

Shields

To begin with, In the Middle Ages, shields were used by knights so they could differentiate each other and had unique designs. It was hard to make a unique design since there were many knights.  Shields/coats of arms are to protect a knight in the middle ages and to distinguish each knight.

Shields were made to protect a knight in a fight, they were also useful to distinguish each knight from another since every knight had a different design or symbol. It was very strict to be a unique one since there were many knights so it was hard to make it unique and not use the same symbol as other knights. There were also laws that a coat of arms would belong to a knight’s family and pass it down to his eldest son.

The colors of these shields also meant something different for each shield. Red was the color for warriors, and nobility. Blue and others meant truth and sincerity. Black was for piety and knowledge. Finally, green meant joy and knowledge.The shields were made with different types of wood, leather, and bark. You could actually choose between many types of shields like; kite shields, heater shields, the bucker, the pavise, the target, and the bouche.

These shields were very important back then and were used to protect and to distinguish a knight, but there were also formations with their shields.Knights used formations to attack in a group and protect from the enemy group. Although these shields were really useful back then in the middle ages, after the Middle Ages were over these shields or coats of arms remained and were used by other generations. Even after many years the shields and formations remained and were used. Up to date only a few people know these formations but some shields still remain and are kept stored and others are even in museums.

Dragons

Dragons are legendary mythical creatures that look like a long lizard or snake with wings. These originated from medieval Europe where in some stories they were good, while in others they were bad or evil. In some of these they were able to breathe or spit fire out of their mouths. While that was on the middle ages side in Japan they looked like a giant sea serpent without wings.

Dragons are mythical creatures that have been a myth since ancient times, however people still don’t know when they were introduced into people’s stories. Researchers speculate that they came from discovered dinosaur bones. In western myths from Europe dragons were symbolic of evil. These thoughts might have been developed in the middle ages where they are large, deadly, snakes. Although  in many places dragons were evil in greek they had the taught that they were good; but in general, the reputation of evil dragons was stronger.

Because back then the dragons were viewed as both protective and fearsome, they were used as war-like emblems. Some examples are people putting them in their shields for example, king Agamemnon had a three-headed snake on his shield, and also noticed warriors often painted dragons on their shields and carved dragon heads on the bows of their shields. All of this was because dragons were used as a symbol of war so that's why many people painted or carved them in their equipment.

Some facts about dragons are that people visualized dragons as a giant flying fire breathing lizard with legs, claws, and sometimes a voice. In other places dragons are viewed as giant, large snakes that spew clouds and rivers of venom.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the Middle Ages is a very interesting theme where you could learn very interesting stories, or learn how things originated from. The Feudal system/Feudalism is how people were ranked in the middle ages, there was from people who got benefited, to people who didn’t. Shields were used by the knights in the middle ages to protect the knight or allow the knight to attack in groups, these shields also allowed knights to distinguish each other. Dragons were a myth/legend that could be different depending on the story or place since in some places it's a big lizard, others are big large snakes, and in others they could be good or bad. Finally, the Middle Ages is an important thing to learn since it has many interesting facts, myths, stories, equipment, rules, and much more you could learn about, definitely a theme worth learning about.