Feudalism and Social Ladder Essay

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Feudal System Essay

As a social system developed in the eighth century in Europe, people have been ranked based on the social ladder. In this social ladder are four classes the peasants, knights, nobles and kings. This has been used for many and on one ever switched classes you were born into a class and that was it. On the manor each class has responsibilities to obtain to keep the manor running smoothly. Peasants are the lowest class, working all day from sunrise to sunset. Most family’s’ are poor which plays a major role in their everyday life. The clothing worn is made out of rough wool or linen made by the women. Women wore long dresses with stockings made or wool, while the men worn tunics and long stockings; the children wore the same thing as the adults. In the winter they both wore cloaks out of sheepskin or wool also wearing clogs, mittens and hats to keep warm. Working all day for the manor and lord consists of harvesting and planting crops and taking care of the livestock. A basic meal entails bread, porridge, vegetables and some meats; and when in season some fruits or nuts they could find. Many ending up dying because the weather became to harsh for the crops to grow leading the peasants to starve and die. Peasants live on the Lords’ manor in huts made out of stone or branches covered in mud and straw with a thatched roof. They have two rooms in the hut total; one room with a dirt floor and some furniture and the other has beds for the whole family to sleep on. They did not have electricity the main source of light and heat for them was candles and fires. When it came to be winter time the animals were all brought into the house to keep warm. As you can see the peasants don’t have a very easy life giving them the lowest class title. Knights were an important aspect in the Middle Ages protecting the manor. They are ranked after the peasants being the second class of the social ladder. In order to become a knight a boy is to be a son of a noble and starts his training at age seven and becomes a knight around the age of twenty. Being a knight requires wearing specific clothing which includes: armour, chain mail, helmets, and a shield with the family seal on it for identification. Common tools used in battle include: a sword worn on his left, a knife worn on his right, a lance when on horseback, metal axes and battle hammers are the most known. Knights were known to travel not having a stead home, but since they were considered noblemen they had the castle to call home. They lived in the keep which is the lower floors of the castle. The knight had a life of protecting and was treated well having the second class
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