The Dark and Medieval Times
Introduction
During the dark and medieval times, everything depended on a system, a system that all society and the government depended on. It would put everything correctly in its place and everything would be balanced. Children would play many varieties of games on the streets, in homes, and in many other places. Throughout the tragic happenings of the dark and medieval times, people also had to try and survive a devastating plague, which would destroy everything in its path. All of this took place during the fascinating Middle Ages.
Feudalism
Society and government all depended on the Feudal System. It was a political, economic, and social system from the ninth to the fifteenth century. “Feudalism was built upon a relationship of obligation and mutual service between vassals and lords,” (Ross). Communities were formed in manors owned by lords who would take care of the peasants living there. The manor was an agricultural land which was taken care of by a lord. The lord would live in a large house and all the villagers would come to his house when the village was getting attacked or for celebrations. A lord was in charge of everything on the land like the people and the whole village sustained in the manor (Nelson).
A king would be head of all the land. Because being the top leader of the land was too much control and responsibility, the king would have barons help him out. To pay back the king, the barons would have to stay loyal to the king and “swore oaths of homage and fealty” (Nelson). Barons were in charge of taking care of the king’s armies and dividing land among lords. If they didn’t have an army, they would pay a tax called shield money. Once a king’s reign ended, the throne would be passed down to the firstborn son. “When one family stayed in power for a long time, this was called a dynasty” (Nelson).
In most villages, they had about ten to sixty families living in small homes called huts. They had dirt floors and didn’t have chimneys nor windows (Ross ). Unfortunately, most of the people living during the middle ages were peasants and their life wasn’t at its best. They would work hard six days a week for their landlord and still earn so little they barely had any food to survive. Most of them would only live so little they wouldn’t reach thirty years old. Although most people worked like slaves, some worked freely meaning they could own their own businesses like bakers and blacksmiths (Nelson).
Medieval Games
During the Middle Ages, people didn’t have any types of devices, so instead, they played games. There were many different types of games. Such games would be based in areas of strength, smarts, skill, and amusement.
Games of strength were quite popular with the men and boys of their generation. All games of strength would test endurance and strength. These games would include hammer throwing, wrestling, stick combat, stone-throwing, and tug o’ war. Many of these attracted people to play them to show off their strength (sometimes in hopes of a maiden) and attracted viewers because of the sometimes brute behavior that would take place. Hammer throwing consisted of men slinging hammers around their heads and then catapulting them in the air in hopes of getting the farthest shot. When men would compete in stick combat, two men would be blindfolded with a stick in their hands and attempt to hit a large pig or goose. Playing tug o’ war in the Middle Ages was quite similar to the way it’s played now. Groups of equal mixed teams consisting of all ages would split into two sides and try to pull the opposing team into the hazard. The hazard would usually be a mud puddle, a wall, or a hedge (Pattie).
When testing smarts, skills, and strategy, people would play games like archery, chess, backgammon, fox and geese, the philosopher’s game (also known as Rithmomachia) and many more. Backgammon is an old board game that would be played with two people. Moving your playing piece would depend on what your dice rolled. You would win backgammon when all your pieces are off the board. The philosopher’s game is also known as Rithmomachia. The game board was very similar to chess, but with 16 pieces on the long side and eight pieces on the short side. There were many forms for the game that included triangles, squares, rounds, and pyramids. Playing Rithmomachia required simple math. To win the game you had to be able to understand arithmetics and geometry (Pattie).
The Black Death
The Black Death was a tragic plague that spread during the Middle Ages. It began in the fourteenth century in Southern Russia and spread to Western Europe which then affected trading ships full of people who couldn’t make it through the disease. Populations decreased and laborers were at stake which affected the economy and more poverty and crime happened (History…).
The victims of the Black Death would get “painful swelling in the lymph nodes,” so they considered it an outbreak from the Bubonic Plague (History…). It all happened due to a Yersinia Pestis which was carried by black rats or fleas. When people got the disease they would get “covered in dark blotches due to damage of the underlying skin and tissue,” (History…). This then led up to the name Black Death (History…).
Three manifestations of the Black Death were the Bubonic Plague, Pneumonic Plague, and Septicemic Plague. People with the Bubonic Plague would get lymph nodes on their neck, armpits, and other parts of the body. The plague had a thirty to seventy percent fatal rate (History…).
The second common form of the Black Death was the Pneumonic Plague. This disease was an airborne infection. “blood-tinged sputum which became increasingly more free-flowing as the disease processed,” constituted some of the symptoms for the Pneumonic Plague. It had a ninety to ninety-five percent fatal rate. (History…).
Septicemic Plague was the third manifestation of the Black Death. Extreme fevers and “purple discolorations” were some of the characteristics of the disease. It had a hundred percent mortality rate and was rather rare.
During the time of the Black Death, not many people survived. The ones who did would pass on horror stories. There would be dead bodies rotting the air everywhere and quarantines filled with the ill.
Conclusion
So many things happened throughout these times and there are still many, many more to name. From loud and happy amusement parks and games to a devastating plague wiping out the whole nation. Things are yet to be known from the dark and medieval times, the Middle Ages.
Works Cited
“History of the Black Death.” All About History, allabouthistory.org/history-of-black-death.htm.
Nelson, Ken. “Middle Ages: Feudal System.” Ducksters, Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI), ducksters.com/history/middle_ages_feudal_system.php.
Pattie, Tammy. “Medieval Games.” Medieval Games and Recreation, 2011, castle.eiu.edu/reading/MEDIEVALGAMES.pdf.
Ross, David. “ The Feudal System.” Feudalism and Medieval Life, Britain Express, britainexpress.com/History/Feudalism_and_Medieval_life.htm.
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