Ivanna Cadena

Encounters 6

Ms. Damante

April 8, 2022

The Exotic Medieval Times

Introduction

The Middle Ages was a captivating time in history including feudalism, hairstyle, and clothing all from the middle ages. Feudalism was a government system that controlled everyone's life. Hairstyles were super different from now (they would even have decorations in their hair sometimes such as flowers with leaves and even metallic wires). Clothing from then was also very unique and different from now. All of these collectively made up of what we now know as the Middle Ages

Feudalism

Feudalism was a government system that everyone in the Middle Ages relied on. This system determined your whole life from your job to the house you'll stay in. There were 5 different social classes in the feudal system, the top being the most important and the bottom being the least important. The king was at the top; he would rule every single level. The king had trouble with all of the work so he split among the barons in return the barons would pledge their loyalty to the king.(Middle…) Next was the bishops, the bishops were the highest church leader in the kingdom. They also manage an area called a diocese. The catholic church was a big thing in the middle ages so therefore making the bishop of high importance. The bishops were really wealthy because the churches would get a tithe of ten percent from all the people.(Middle…) Then there were the barons and nobles, who ruled large areas of land but just like the king it was too much to handle so they split it up among the lords who ran individual manors. They were in charge of controlling an army that was under the king’s service. Sometimes they would have to pay taxes because they didn't have an army, they called this tax shield money.(Middle…) Next were the lords and knights, the lords ran the manors while the king's knights were called into battle at any moment by their baron. The lords owned every single inch of the land from the crops to the peasants.(Middle…) At last, there were the peasants or serfs, most of the people living in the middle ages were serfs. The serfs were at the lowest level of the feudal system so no one wanted to be them. Some serfs were considered free so they could go and start their businesses like carpenters, bakers, and blacksmiths. Others were more like slaves. These serfs were given jobs no one wanted but it was the only way they made money to survive. They had to work six days a week and most of the time there was not even enough food to survive.(Middle…)

Hairstyles 

Medieval hairstyles are different from hairstyles nowadays. Back Then there were a lot of braids and hats but now it is just curls or a ponytail.  Back then you could see someone's social class through their hair. Braids and buns were very popular with the upper class. It was also very popular to put silk ribbons with flowers and leaves or metallic wires in your hair. The Germanic people gave great influence to the medieval hairstyles of the Middle Ages and considered them a symbol of authority and power.(Medieval…) It was popular for men to tie their hair up on top of their heads and create a high knot. While women normally had long tresses so they put them in braids and bands to keep them from falling on their faces.(Medieval…) In the middle ages, most women had long locks of hair and it was very rare to see someone with short or medium hair. They did this because this way they had more options for hairstyles.(Medieval…) The three most important characteristics of medieval hairstyles are 1. flowers, 2. silk bands, and 3. leaves. Good components were updos, buns, braids, and long plaits. Hair was a very important thing in medieval times so shaving your head was considered the highest form of humility. Because of the same reasons, monks started shaving their heads but only in the middle leaving a narrow strip around their heads.(Medieval…) Men's hairstyles were very different from women's hairstyles during the Middle Ages. It was very common for the regular hairstyle of a man was short hair that they would comb toward the front of the forehead. Some men just let their hair grow out and would sometimes split it down the middle.(Medieval…) Of course, since most men did not have long hair they had a lot less variety in their hairstyles.

Clothing

Clothing was very different back then. If you were to look back now you would see how much clothing has evolved. Just like with hairstyles you could see what social class you were in. Most women that were in the higher social class dressed in fine clothing. Wool that would be dyed in many different exotic colors. This led to all the exotic patterns we have today.(Clothes…) On the other hand, the less fortunate hand-made their clothes with no extravagant patterns or colors. A lot of women serfs spend a lot of time spinning wool, which was woven into cloth and made into clothing. Most of the clothes were very rough but it was all they had.(Clothes…) Most men wore tunics of many different styles. Sometimes they had sleeves that would open out toward the wrist, while women's tunics were mostly laced and closed-fitting.(Clothes…) A big common thing in medieval times was layers. Dresses were nothing like they are today. A dress back then was multiple pieces of clothing while today it is just a simple piece of clothing.(Clothing…) Men also loved to layer leggings with their tunics but later they changed to a doublet which is more like a close-fitting jacket secured with a belt.(Clothes…)

Conclusion 

Through this entire essay, you could see all the amazing things about medieval times. From kings to plaits even to tunics, those I would say are very intriguing. All the topics that were mentioned such as feudalism, hairstyles, and clothing are all very important topics of medieval times.

Works Cited 

“Clothes.” Mystery In The Middle Ages. www.xtec.cat/monografics/cirel/02/middle_ages/alumne/sc 

ene1/punt2/index.htm. Accessed 17 February 2022.

”Clothing of the Time” Clothing Of The Time. drive.google.com/file/d/1Iq3hMOC-r7Dma-c-nJlhE7 

1MJ-iC8AES/view. Accessed 28 February 2022.

“Medieval Hairstyles.” Medieval Chronicles. www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-clothing/medi 

eval-hairstyles/. Accessed 9 February 2022.

“Middle Ages Feudal System.” Ducksters. www.ducksters.com/history/middleagesfeudal 

system.php. Accessed 7 February 2022.

Ross, David. “Feudalism and Medieval Life.” Britten Express. www.britainexpress.com/History/Feu 

dalism  and_Medieval_life.htm. Accessed 7 February 2022.