Anabelle: Housing in the Middle Ages with a focus on Seasons

1. Seasons affected housing in the Middle Ages.
1. In the winter people had to bring their animals inside their homes so they wouldn’t freeze.
2. In the spring homes would get really wet because peasants’ houses were made of straw.
3. In the summer houses became very hot in the peasants’ straw homes. Air did not circulate.
2. The Middle Ages is a period in the history of Europe.
1. 
   
   1. The Middle Ages started at the fall of Rome and ended with the beginning of the Renaissance.
   1. It lasted about 1,000.
2. Peasants worked for the lords and ladies, who were royal.
1. The royal houses were made more for protection than anything else.
2. If you were a villein farmer and the lord’s land was sold you would go with the land.
3. A peasant is someone who works on a farm in the Middle Ages.
1. Houses of peasants were usually made out of straw
3. There are many differences between modern and Medieval houses.
1. In the Middle Ages beds were made out of straw, now we have mattresses.
2. In the Middle Ages people used fireplaces and candles to light their rooms now we use light bulbs.
3. In a peasant’s house there were two to three rooms, now we most often have three or more rooms in our homes.
4. Nobles would live in cottages and houses with better conditions.
1. A Medieval cottage from the 13th century could be inhabited by the lord of the manor, his family and the servants.
2. This cottage would have two rooms.
1. One room would contain the hearth living area.
2. One room would have the stove oven.
3. The house would have been very dark.
5. With more money peasants were able to afford better housing and many lived in wattle and daub houses.
1. Wattle and daub houses were taller and wider than the simple stick and straw housesa. a.a a) Wattle and daub houses are made of interwoven sticks and twigs covered with mud or clay.
4. Depending on your class you would have a different type of home.
1. Castles were not comfortable. 1. Castles were build as fortresses. 2. Castles were cold, drafty, and damp. 3. Castles indoor plumbing consisted of a hole in the floor called a latrine.
2. The low middle class was not that bad because some had farms.
3. Many peasants had worse lives than beggars.
1. Some peasants weren’t free but beggars were.
2. Peasant homes wouldn’t last because their homes were made out of sticks and straw.
1. Peasants had nothing but straw and stick to build their houses.
5. Climate did affect housing in the Middle Ages.
1. In the summer it was really hot.
2. In the winter it was cold and heat from animals was needed to stay alive.
3. In the spring it was damp.
4. Depending on your job you might not spend a lot of time indoors.
1. If you were a yeoman who was a farmer you would be outside most of the time.
1. Your children would be raised outside to also work on the farm.