The Cruelty of the Dark Ages
Plagues. Punishments. Crime. Castles. They were not the best thing ever. A long time ago, these awful things existed. A lot of the times these events happened. Plagues roared through the Middle Ages. Crimes and punishments were cruel and unusually awful. Castles were defense for the dark wars. The Middle Ages was a devastating time in the history of our world.
The Black Death
This deadly plague is caused by a microbe called Yersinia Pestis. Most rodents have this bacteria. The plague is mainly caused by rat bites. The plague was started by a punishment from God due to human sins. The Black Death got its name due to the black skin of infected people. Jews were accused for the spread of plague.
The skin turns black, followed by vomiting, and many more. The plague had a mortality rate of 30%-75%. It took 2-7 days for the plague to kill a person. The virus killed around 100 people every week. People were thrown into mass graves.
It was stopped by cooked, onions, standing between fires and many more. People wore masks filled with flowers and spices to prevent plague. The Great Fire of London killed many infected rats, which helped stop the plague.
The plague spread 30 to 100 times faster on land than plagues of the 20th century. Comebacks happened from 1665 to 1666 in Europe happened. It took about 3 years for all the countries to get infected.
The plague was the worst flu in the Uk. The plague started in Central Asia. The plague exists, but is rare. When ships arrived at Messina, most people were dead due to the plague. (Epidemics and Plagues book, Google Chrome www.google.com, and Youtube www.youtube.com.)
Crime and Punishment
Crucifixion is a punishment process where the victim is tied or nailed to a wooden beam. If the victim survives 3 days of crucifixion, they are allowed to live. The breaking wheel is a punishment in which the victim is tied to a wheel and then is rolled down the side of a rocky cliff. Another punishment is being burned. People that commited vagrancy were put in stocks so people could beat them. A simple punishment was being fined. Shaming is a process of where the victims were placed in stocks and left there until death. Flogging is a punishment in which the victim was constantly whipped. Trials by Ordeal are used to determine a guilty person. There are 4 trials by ordeal. Ordeal by fire: The accused would walk over burning coals. If no injuries, they were innocent. However, if they gotten an injury, they were guilty. Ordeal by water: The accused would dip their hand in boiling water to retrieve a stone. The rest of the rules is the same as fire. Ordeal by combat: The accused and accuser fight to the death. The survivor was considered innocent. Ordeal by corsening: The accused would eat a piece of bread and cheese consecrated with a special prayer. If they choke or vomit, they are guilty. If not, they were innocent. In the 13th century, trial by ordeal was replaced by trial by jury.
Common crimes were theft and murder. People did theft because they lacked food and money. A criminal was someone who by doing something wrong “Had disturbed the king’s peace.” Treason is a crime meaning trying to overthrow the government. Another crime was not working hard enough. Vagrancy is illegal as they can’t be homeless or jobless.
Most punishments involved death. They believed the only way to keep order was to make harsh punishments. Most countries banned these punishments, but are still used in some countries, even today. (Crime and Punishment in the Medieval Times book, Crime, Punishment, and Torture www.crimepunishmentandtorture.com, and Crime and Punishments www.crimeandpunishments.com.)
Castles
Castles were built in 1066. It takes 2 to 10 years to build a castle. The first castles were Motte and Bailey castles. Though, castle protection ended after the fall of the 15th century.
Castles were built for protection during wars. However, castles are also used for nobility and royalty. When gunpowder was invented, castles were no longer effective. Nevertheless, castles are still used today for other reasons.
The Normans built the first castle. The oldest castle is Windsor Castle. There are 3 types castles: Motte-and-bailey, stone keep, and concentric. Castle walls are usually about 15 to 20 feet tall. Castles changed over time to keep attackers out. Castles made out of wood were replaced with stone to make them stronger. There are about 23 bedrooms in a castle. The keep is a strong tower located at the center of a castle. A drawbridge is used to let people in and out. Due to their price, glass was rarely used in castle windows. Kings and lords live in castles. An arrow slit, used for archers to fire arrows, is sometimes called a balistarium. Castles cost about 250,000 euros to 5,000,000 euros.
Castles have names. Schloss Neuschwanstein is the most famous castle, and Prague Castle is the biggest castle in the world. (Castle book, Castles book, and Medieval Castles book.)
Illuminated Manuscripts
The art of illuminated manuscripts began around the time of the third century. Illumination is the word used to describe handwritten books embellished with gold and silver. The pages of these books would give the impression of illuminated light, hence the description of illuminated manuscripts. Illuminated manuscripts were difficult to attain because of the amount of time and money needed to make the books. Therefore, most illuminated manuscripts were owned by wealthy people. The invention of the printing press in 1445, led to the elimination of illuminated manuscripts as an art form.
The creation of an illuminated manuscript was a complex task. Monks were the main artists and they worked in a special room in the monastery called a scriptorium. The monks, sometimes called the illuminators, supplied the decorative work that embellished the borders and initial letter. Illuminators used vellum as a form of paper. Vellum is dried, stretched sheep, goat, or calf skin. The first step to making an illuminated manuscript is the application of the gesso. The gesso is a special type of glue. Gesso is made of plaster, white lead, water, sugar, and egg white. The gesso was used to make the surface of the paper sticky so that the gold leaf could be applied. The second step caused for the gesso to sit overnight. The illuminator would smooth the rough edges and breathe on the gesso to make it moist. Next, gold lead would be laid over the gesso. Gilded gold leaves were used to make the script brighter. Gilding is the process of using gold leaf to turn the scripting gold. Once the gold leaf was set into the gesso, the illuminator would make the the leaf shiny. To accomplish this task the the illuminator might use a dog’s or wolf’s tooth as a burnishing tool. Finally, the background was painted around the gilding. Illumination artists would decorate the initial letter and sometimes the border of manuscripts. Artist used nature to help add more colors to create illuminated manuscripts. Minerals, precious stones, insects, and plants were used to add color and brighten the page. The process of making illuminated manuscripts created four different trades or careers: vellum maker, calligrapher, artist, and book binder.
The manuscripts were beautifully illuminated and decorated to glorify God. Religious books, such as Bibles, Prayer Books, and hymnals were the most common examples of illuminated manuscripts during the Middle Ages. The Book of Kells is considered to be one of the most prominent examples of an illuminated manuscript. (A Brief History of Illuminated Manuscript www.youtube.com, Illuminated Manuscript www.encyclopedia.com, and Medieval Life book.)
The Black Death was a devastating event that killed many unsuspecting people. Crimes and punishments were cruel and unusual. Castles were a safe haven for the monarchy and the people who were lucky to serve them. The Middle Ages was a fascinating time period.
Works Cited
A Brief History of Illuminated Manuscripts. Youtube, 2011.
Castle. U.S., New York: Eyewitness Books. 1994.
Castles. 215 Park Avenue South: Houghton Mifflin Company Inc., 1995.
Austin, Smalley. Crime and Punishment in the Medieval Times. Online. Sept. 22,
2012. Available at www.crimeandpunishmentinthemedievaltimes.com.
Crime, Punishment, and Torture. 387 Park Avenue South: Worth Press Ltd. 2012.
Encounters Google Site. Online. Crimes and Punishments. 2019.
Epidemics and Plagues. 222 Berkeley Street: Hough Mifflin Company, 2006.
Googleplex. Google Chrome. Internet. September 4, 1998. Available at www.google.com.
“Illuminated Manuscript”. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia
Britannica Inc., 2017.
Langley, Andrew. Medieval Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1996.
Jim Pipe. Medieval Castle. Aladdin Books Ltd. 1966.
San, Bruno. Youtube. Online. 2005. Available at www.youtube.com.
Glossary of the Study
Word
Meaning
1
Arrow Slit
Opening in a castle where archers can shoot arrows.
2
Bizarre
Very strange and unusual.
3
Bloodletting
Injecting blood into a person.
4
Consecrated
Having been made or declared sacred.
5
Corsening
Make or become rough.
6
Epidemic
Describes infectious diseases.
7
Euro
The official currency of the european union.
8
Exempt
Free from an obligation or liability imposed on others.
9
Mortality
Chance of death.
10
Nobility
The quality of being noble in character, ming, birth, or rank.
11
Nominally
Existing in name only.
12
Ordeal
An ancient test of guilt or innocence.
13
Pandemic
Deadly diseases that killed many.
14
Proportion
A part of something.
15
Remedies
To prevent something.
16
Sluices
A sliding gate or other device for controlling the flow of water.
17
Trivial
Of little value or importance.
18
Undergarments
An article of underclothing.