The Age of Discovery
Introduction
What about the middle ages makes it interesting? Could it have been the disease that killed a third of Europe? Maybe it was the government system that enslaved many peasants. Could it possibly be the family that ruled over England for 118 years? The middle ages were very eventful, and that’s what makes it fascinating.
Feudalism
Feudalism was the government system used in Europe during the middle ages. It was built on a relationship of promise and service between vassals and lords. Feudalism in practice meant the country was not governed by the king but by lords or barons.
Feudalism was based on the feudal system. The serfs were pledged to their local lord. They had a rough life and mainly worked as carpenters, bakers, and blacksmiths. The lords were in charge of the local manor. They were also the king's knights and could be called into battle at any given moment. Their job was to maintain an army, and if they didn't, they would be taxed. The Bishop was the top church leader and managed an area called a diocese. The church was extremely powerful and so was the bishop. The person who held the most power was the king. The king couldn't control all of the land alone so he divided it among the barons As a result, The baron pledged loyalty to the king. Although it was a government system followed by all, most people did not benefit. The serfs were basically slaves. They owned nothing and usually died before the age 30. They couldn't own property or marry without their lord's approval. “Under no circumstance could a serf leave without a lord's permission unless he ran away and managed to escape for a year”(Feudalism…). If they accomplished that, they would be free. However, the serfs did have some rights. He could not be displaced if the manor changed hands and he wouldn't be forced to fight. He was under the lord's protection.
Feudalism ended when the barons had forced the king to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. The Magna Carta placed limits on the king's power and weakened feudalism by a lot. Once the plague started, the economy was heavily impacted. This also caused feudalism to weaken. Then the hundred years war happened. Power had shifted from feudal lords to monarchs and common people. These three events led to the decline of feudalism.
Tudor Era
The Tudor period was from 1485 to 1603. This was when the Tudor dynasty ruled England. The first Tudor monarch was King Henry VII who became king in 1485. Once King Henry VII died in 1507 his son, King Henry VIII took over the throne and ruled until 1547.
Henry VIII is well known for his six wives and having two of them beheaded. He had three children, all of them eventually ruled England. During his reign, he expanded royal power. He often used charges of treason to accuse multiple people without a trial. When Henry married Catherine of Aragon she gave birth to a daughter who later became the queen. When he married Anne Boleyn, she gave birth to second daughter. Henryeventually became desperate for a son. Once he married Jane Seymour, he finally had a son to make his heir. Once king henry VIII died, he became king.
Edward VI became king at the age of 9 years old in 1547. Because of his age, he was called the young prince. When his father died, his two sisters were 13 and 31. Despite being the youngest, he became the king because he was the only son of the family. He died when he was only 15 and his successor was his cousin Lady Jane Grey. Lady Jane Grey was known as the nine days queen. She was queen from July 10 to July 19 of 1553. After some time passed of Jane being queen, most of her supporters abandoned her. The Privy Council of England suddenly switched sides and made Mary I queen of England.
Mary became queen in 1553. Mary is also known as bloody Mary because she had executed 280 religious dissenters. After her death in 1558, her younger sister Elizabeth I was her successor. Elizabeth Tudor was the final monarch of the Tudor dynasty. In government, Elizabeth was better than her father and siblings had been. Her motto was “Video et taceo” (“I see and keep silent”). She was tolerant and avoided systematic persecution. In 1603 Elizabeth died. She was the last monarch of the Tudor house and will forever be remembered.
The Black Death
The black death is a deadly disease that spread through Europe during the middle ages. It was highly contagious and had no cure. It was believed to have been spread through rats and fleas. Due to the people during the middle ages not knowing, larger cities and villages were very dangerous because of how dirty they were.
The disease likely started in Asia and made its way to Europe. It’s likely that rats on the merchant ships caught the disease and carried it along the silk road. Even the kings and queens of Europe had caught the disease despite having more capability to travel far from the disease. Around 800 people died every day in Paris, France and at least a third of people in Europe had died just from the plague. Because of how contagious and deadly the disease was, workers had started to demand higher wages. Peasant tenants asked for better conditions of tenure as they took up land. The English government’s had begun to set maximum wages. This eventually led to the peasants’ revolt in 1381.
It’s believed that the disease was a combination of bubonic and pneumonic plague. Bubonic plague was passed through rodents or fleas. However, pneumonic plague is highly contagious and can be passed just by droplets of sneezes or coughs. The plague has many effects such as black spots on skin, high fevers, terrible aches, coughing up blood, and eventually death. The black death was a horrible disease that ravaged Europe for about 5 years.
The disease had a large impact on all of Europe and killed between 75 and 200 million. People believed the plague was a punishment from god or it was because an unhealthy atmospheric condition was created due to planetary positions. The disease returned to Europe several times but none were as bad as the Black Death period.
Conclusion
The middle ages is a very intriguing topic. The complicated Tudor family drama, the government system that lasted for nearly 6 centuries, and the disease that killed millions of people. These events have impacted the world that we know today and that is why the middle ages is an interesting topic to read about.
Works Cited
“Black Death.” Britannica. kids.britannica.com/students/article/Black-Death/574643#
Accessed 27 January 2025.
“Facts About the Tudors.” National Geographic. www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover.com Accessed 27 January 2025.
“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.
“Tudor Period Facts for Kids.” Kiddle .kids.kiddle.co/Tudor_period Accessed 27
January 2025.
The Black Death “Plague”Ducksters. www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages.com Accessed 27 January 2025.