Middle ages research

Juan A Charo 

Encounters 6

Ms. Damante

March 31, 2026

Production, Play, and Prayer in the Middle Ages 

Introduction

Do you have a religion ?  Back in the days of the Middle Ages  religion wasn’t part of a person's  life : it was that person’s life. .Now the complicated part was religion where in some places you could get killed just for doing things or going against your local religion. The feudal system worked simple kings at the top serfs at the bottom and anything in between was a great life. Sports  were a little more complicated. Most of them happened on Sundays when people didn't work and range from jousting to early versions of golf.

Feudalism

 To begin with, feudalism was the Government system in Europe during the Middle Ages. The Feudal system was based on  economic, and political hierarchy defined by land ownership and mutual obligation..”Under the feudal system land was granted to people for service. It started at the top with the king granting his land to a baron for soldiers all the way down to a peasant getting land to grow crops.”(Middle…)

With the king at the very top of the social pyramid which owned all land and traded land with Barons and nobles for exchange of military protection .Barons and nobles right under the king and received land in exchange for bringing knights for the king's army. Knights which are under the barons and nobles received land from nobles in exchange for military service, protecting the man or, and defending the kingdom. 90% of the population consisted of peasants and serfs. ”However, the serf did have rights. He could not be displaced if the manor changed hands. He could not be required to fight, and he was entitled to the protection of the lord.” (Ross…)( This group of people formed the backbone of the feudal economy, providing the labor necessary to sustain the nobility and the clergy in exchange for a small plot of land and a sense of physical security within the manor walls.

The feudal system was primarily used in Western and Central Europe during the Middle Ages, with England, France, the Holy Roman Empire Germany, Italy, and Portugal  being some of the key ones.The feudal systemstared in the early 800s after  Carolingian Empire and the need for security following the fall of Rome.The feudal system was started due to the need for protection and order in a dangerous world, creating a hierarchical system where land was exchanged for loyalty and military service, binding lords nobles, knights, and serfs together in mutual obligation. The world was dangerous because of the constant raids because of the vikings especially the Magyar, and Saracen raids which were one of the reasons why the feudal system started after their fast attacks didn’t work .

The feudal system ended due to a combination of unfortunate events such as the Black Plague, Change in Economics,and military change.The  “Magna Carta” Also played a Massive role in getting rid of the ownership pyramid, and giving equal rights. The Magna Carta states that even monarchs were not above the law, limiting their power and protecting the rights of nobles and commoners. Which weren't so equal but they made it better .

Middle Ages Sports

` In addition, sports in the Middle Ages were different from today's sports. In some countries like England it was more common to play sports but other countries like France also played sports they just weren't as famous as they were in England. Most sports were played during Sundays or days where normal people aren’t supposed to work, leaving more time to organize sporting events. In addition one-third of the year was religious feasting and work  being laid off gave even more time to players especially being more open to every given that every one was off work because working in “no work days “ was considered a sin so if a peasant was forced to work on a sunday

On a feast day  they could have been reported to the local prize which had the most leadership at the time.

Some sports were played to just relax while some sports were played to grow in the hierarchy pyramid. Archery was a main example; winning in competitions like this was a great way for a person’s everyday neighbor to grow in his or her positions . As a matter of fact most people needed a bow “every Englishman of the age between 15 and 60 years was required to equip himself with a bow and arrows.”(Sports…) As winning could move you up to a military position if you're good enough, maybe a leader in the military which for your everyday person is a great upgrade in a living style. Jousting could even get  you a title like “ Kings Favorite” But for the king to notice you have to be some of the best jousters in the area and win countless amounts of jousting competition.  Winning all these competitions have prizes such as money which changed lives. Even some of serfs'peasants also had some specific games such as folk-football, a wild game in which members of a village used to contest with members of other villages. The serfs and peasants were often invited to watch the games of aristocracy during the tournaments; however, they were not allowed to take part in these tournaments.”(Sports…)

In these sports some one has to lose for the other person to win . Especially in jousting, sometimes people die .  Being the king's favorite in jousting can get you out of jail if you kill someone during a game but  it would still be sad for the person’s family who saw their kid get killed and then the killer not being punished. 

Some sports didn't stop but instead grew and became better like American football  which grew massively . For example the actual ball used in the sport used to be a pigs balder but they changed it . Another example is football/soccer which has changed so much . In the old version of soccer there were just two poles and it didn't matter how high the shot was as long as it was in between the two poles , that sounds unfair. 

Religion

Last but not least,  Religion is the belief of something such as gods, after life , or none of that , But in the medieval  times religion wasn’t a part of life it was life. In deeper detail Some regions like the catholic church things such as believing in other churches could be punished by execution in France. But in other regions  like the Mongol empire it was way calmer where Genghis Khan and his successors generally didn't care what you believed as long as you paid your taxes and obeyed the law. Religion was made in this time to help set an after life and help to keep a controlled and calm environment .

  Some churches like catholic churches worked by making people fear hell where soul suffer in eternal pain and suffering describe torture, separation of god,and eternal regret. In the Mongol empire they have their own version of hell which has its own ruler known as  Erlik Khan. Hell there is a picture as a replica of earth but dark and cold. In this hell you only have two souls instead of the three you had on earth. That soul that is missing is the one that provides heat and breathing.

Some religions like Catharism ended because of  the crusaded . while others thrived and grew such as Christianity. In fact “Religion in the Middle Ages was dominated by Christianity. It is the era in which the great cathedrals of Europe were built and the Catholic Church started its universities in Paris, Tubingen, Cambridge and Oxford.”(Religion..) Back then it was enforced  but now over 2.4 billion people follow it.Other religions include Islam, Judaism, Buddhism ,and Hinduism. Which have also grown to millions and billions.

In religion popes , bishops ,and priests were the ones who thrived, as a matter of fact, “Pope were so great that he could even excommunicate a king for a misdeed”(Religion…) while some women subverted due to religious text making them smaller than men . Men in this time thought that since men in religious texts had ownership of women.

Conclusion

To wrap it all up, in the Middle Ages, religion wasn't just a part of a person's day day; it was A persons whole world . The feudal system was basic, with kings at the top and serfs at the bottom while anyone in the middle had a good life. Fun and games were a bit more complex. Most sports happened on Sundays when work stopped. Some sports ranging from knight fights to early types of golf. The tough part was the religion , because in some churches they are so strict you could be killed just for having different ideas or breaking local religious rules. The middle ages is  a great time period to study because of all the different ideas, medicine , life styles ,  technology ,and everyday laws it brought to today's world.

Works Cited 

“Catholic Church and Cathedrals Middle Ages.” Ducksters. www.ducksters.com/history/mi 

ddle_ages/catholic_church_cathedrals. Accessed 28 January 2026.

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

Accessed 22 February 2023. 

“Medieval Sports.“ Middle Ages for Kids. www.lordsandladies.org/medieval-sports.htm. 

Accessed 28 January 2026.

Newman, Simon. "Religion in the Middle Ages.” The Finer Times. Published 29 May 2012, 

www.thefinertimes.com/religion-in-the-middle-ages. Accessed 2 February 2026.

Newman, Simon."Sports in the Middle Ages.” The Finer Times. published 29 May 2012, 

www.thefinertimes.com/sports-in-the-middle-ages. Accessed 22 January 2026.

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

/History/Feudalism_and_Medieval_life.htm Accessed 7 February 2023.