Research Paper
Destruction and Death in the Dark Ages
All throughout human history there has been disaster and times of darkness. One time that is very well known is the Dark Ages.The Dark Ages is known for its time of death, destruction and darkness.The Black Death was a devastating event. .There was also war and knights. Knights were known for there chivalry. New things came to the world too. Great things such as the creation of unique castle designs. The castle helped kings protect his knights and gave shelter. The Middle Ages was a very interesting time period.
The Black Death
The Black Death or also known as the plague killed many people. The black death estimatedly killed 30-60 percent of Europe's population. 25 million died from the outbreaks of the great plague of london one in five people died. On average it takes 23 days for someone who got the plague to die.In a course of a few months 60 percent of Florence’s population died. There was a disappearance of about 1,000 villages. The population in England of 1400 was probably half the amount it was 100 years back.Powerful leaders were affected by the plague too.
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The plague originated from China in 1334. The plague was caused by a bacteria called Yersinia that affects small rodents. The black death was in Europe, Africa and Asia.The plague arrived in Europe in October 1347 when 12 ships docked in Nessing. Most sailors were dead when they arrived. The ones who were alive were extremely sick. It travels from person to person through the air or the bite of infected fleas or rats. The plague caused disaster in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Some of the first symptoms were vomiting, giddiness, headaches, shivering, tongue turns white and intolerance to light.People would have swelling the size of and egg or an apple.They were named plague boils.Blood and pus came out of them.Some treatments for it were onions, sitting in the sewers, crushed emeralds, and sitting in a room with huge fires.Blood from plague infected rats contain 500-1,000 times more bacteria than plague infected humans.Healthy people did all they can do to not get sick.Doctors wouldn’t help patients, priest refused to administer, and shopkeepers closed their stores.Some people thought they were getting punished by god and whipped themselves to try to stop it. (Christopher Gravett “Tring England Dk Publishing”,2004) (Ole J. Benedictow “History today”)
Castles
The first castles were made in the 9th and 10th century to defend from vikings and Magyars. When they first started making castles they were made out of earth and timber. During the 10th century they started making them out of stone. The king would find a master mason to help plan and build a castle.
There were different types of castles such as motte and bailey castles. They would build castles near water or on high ground. The walls can be as thick as 33 feet but cannons would still destroy it. In castles they used stone, iron, wood and more.
Castles were first built in Britain by the Normans from France during the Norman conquest. It is believed that as many as 1,000 castles were built by the Normans. It has been home to the British for many years. All the countries with castles have different types of styles. Castles were in a lot of countries such as Spain, Germany, Britain, Japan and many more.
A chapel was very important in a christian castle. Usually located at the entrance.In European castles there was a main hall used for eating, sleeping, and carrying out castle business. Castles had special features and loop holes for archers to shoot through. The body of soldiers who defended were called the garrison.The cooking was done by the fires and were kept in a other building so no fires would start. Some had a drawbridge at the entrance of the castle.There was a portcullis at the entrance that blocks. Castles also had a barbican which is a big wall on the outside of the castle. On motte and bailey castles there was a tower called a donjon made of wood.Over time the donjon became larger and made of stone. (“CDC online” “howstuffworks” “Kidskonnect”)
Chivalry
The word chivalry comes from the French word “chevalerie” which means skills to handle a horse. Over time the word chivalry took on other meanings. By the 14th century english speakers had adopted the slightly modified spelling chivalry. The code of chivalry emphasizes bravery, military skill, generosity in victory and courtesy to women. The definition of chivalry can be related to medieval institutions of knighthood.
Qualities of a knight would be bravery, courtesy, honor and a great gallantry toward women. There were oaths and vows that were sworn in the knighthood ceremonies. They had to protect the poor, children, and women. Some things the noble knights were supposed to have were courage and readiness to help the weak. A knight was expected to have strength skills and to also temper his aggressive side. Chivalry was the methods of training and standards of behavior for knights in the middle ages. The code of chivalry was a moral system which went beyond rules of combat. Chivalry was a moral system which combined a warrior ethos, knightly piety and courtly manners all conspiring to establish a nation of honor and nobility. They had to respect the honour of women and never turn on a foe. In these feudal systems knights worked in paid service to their lords. Some may say that chivalry is focused on protecting women and courtly love. They had to obey those in authority and never refuse a challenge from an equal. The knights had to be religious and to fight for the welfare of all. (“chivalry today”Online chivalry today “facts interesting information” “Knights and Armour” Merriam Webster”)
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