The Middle Ages 

• Christendom- a mixture of Christianity and a kingdom
• Tithe/Taxes- giving 10% to the church
• The Eastern Roman Empire was called the "Byzantine Empire"
• Became more Greek than Roman
• People who grew up in the middle ages didn't read much of anything
• People would learn to be an apprentice and follow a job after another
• The middle ages was also known as the "dark ages"
• Not much progression was made during the middle ages
• The Roman Empire faded into nothing
• Many diseases in the middle ages
• Feudalism- a political, military, and economic system based on land-holding and protective alliances
• The system is based on personal loyalty to people who can help
• Vassals- people who help out by working the land with military expertise. These people become knights.
• Serfs- people who aren't very skilled but can farm and make weapons
• The feudal pyramid
• King
• Vassals, Nobles, and Bishops
• Knights
• Peasants and Serfs
• Fiefs- a small part of land that knights own
• Peasants are landless, powerless, and moneyless who live off the land.
• Manor- the lord's estate
• On the estate
• The manor house
• A church
• Workshops
• 15-30 families
• There wasn't much trading in the middle ages
• That means not much learning of others cultures
• Made weapons like catapults
• Had many big impressive building but had no beauty to it
• Peasants are poor and pay high taxes
• Taxed on grain
• Taxed on marriage
• Taxed on Church
• Peasants lived in crowded cottages with a dirt floor, windows cut out of walls, and bring animals into the house during the winter for body warmth
• Peasants ate very simply, without spices and meats
• The church said that if you were born into the peasant life it was the life you were meant to live
• There were no uprisings or revolts against the upper class people