What Was the Purpose of Herbs and Spices?
Here is a list of spices copied directly from "Lords and Ladies"
- Pepper - The most sought after spice. Black pepper was the most expensive. Imported from Asia and later Africa.
- Cinnamon - A Spice made from bark of the Cinnamomum zeylanicum
- Cloves - Cloves were indigenous to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia
- Nutmeg - Spice made from seeds also indigenous to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia
- Ginger - Ginger was a spice also known as 'Grains of Paradise', also called Atare Pepper, was used as a substitute for the more expensive black pepper during the 1300 and 1400's
- Saffron - The dried aromatic stigmas of this plant, was used to color foods and as a cooking spice and dyes
- Cardamon (aka Cardamom ) was a spice made from the whole or ground dried fruit a plant of the ginger family, indigenous to India and Sri Lanka
- Coriander - A Spice made from seeds and leaves and a relative of the parsley family
- Cumin - Spice made from the dried fruit of a plant in the parsley family
- Garlic - A spice imported by the Romans
- Turmeric - Spice made from a root, related to ginger and has a vivid yellow-orange color
- Mace - A spice made from the dried fleshy covering of the nutmeg seed
- Anise - A liquorice flavored plant whose seeds and leaves are used to spice a variety of dishes
- Caraway - Caraway or Persian cumin are the small, crescent-shaped dried seeds from a herb
- Mustard - A spice with a pungent flavor, either used as seeds or ground
A medieval Feast
What Was the Purpose of a Feast? Feasts were held to celebrate birth of royalty, marriages, conquests, and multiple more reasons.
Where in a Castle Would the Feast Take Place? Feasts were held in the great hall.
Who Would Be Invited to a Feast? Nobility, royalty, and knights were invited to medieval feasts.
What Types of Food was Served? Potatoes, bread, and chicken was served. One king, Count of Anjou, held a feast described below, which is copied from "Lords and Ladies."
What Is Falconry? Falconry is the sport of hunting with falcons for entertainment purposes.
What Other Types of Entertainment Existed? Thanks again to "Lords and Ladies" for these lists of medieval games and entertainment:
OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT
What Instruments Were Used? Instruments in the Middle Ages include tambourines, drums, cymbals, triangles, flute, trumpet, lizards, gemshorn, crumhorn, bagpipe, recorder, shawn, pipe, harp, fiddle, rebec, psaltery, dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, and the viol. Here is a list from "Lords and Ladies" which includes small descriptions of each.
Where in a Castle Would the Feast Take Place? Feasts were held in the great hall.
Who Would Be Invited to a Feast? Nobility, royalty, and knights were invited to medieval feasts.
What Types of Food was Served? Potatoes, bread, and chicken was served. One king, Count of Anjou, held a feast described below, which is copied from "Lords and Ladies."
- On the table was placed a centre-piece, which represented a green lawn, surrounded with large peacocks' feathers and green branches, to which were tied violets and other sweet-smelling flowers
- In the middle of this lawn a fortress was placed, covered with silver
- The fortress was hollow, and formed a sort of cage, in which several live birds were shut up, their tufts and feet being gilt
- On its tower, which was gilt, three banners were placed
- The first course consisted of a civet of hare, a quarter of stag which had been a night in salt, a stuffed chicken, and a loin of veal
- The two last dishes were covered with a German sauce, with gilt sugar-plums, and pomegranate seeds
- At each end, outside the green lawn, was an enormous pie, surmounted with smaller pies, which formed a crown
- The crust of the large pies were silvered all round and gilt at the top
- Each pie contained a whole roe-deer, a gosling, three capons, six chickens, ten pigeons, one young rabbit, and, no doubt to serve as seasoning or stuffing, a minced loin of veal, two pounds of fat, and twenty-six hard-boiled eggs, covered with saffron and flavoured with cloves
- For the three following courses, there was a roe-deer, a pig, a sturgeon cooked in parsley and vinegar, and covered with powdered ginger
- A kid goat, two goslings, twelve chickens, as many pigeons, six young rabbits, two herons, a leveret, a fat capon stuffed, four chickens covered with yolks of eggs and sprinkled with spice, a wild boar, some wafers and stars
- A jelly, part white and part red, representing the crests of the honored guests
- Cream covered with fennel seeds and preserved in sugar
- A white cream, cheese in slices, and strawberries
- And, lastly, plums stewed in rose-water
- Besides these four courses, there was a fifth, entirely composed of the prepared wines then in vogue, and of preserves. These consisted of fruits and various sweet pastries
What Is Falconry? Falconry is the sport of hunting with falcons for entertainment purposes.
What Other Types of Entertainment Existed? Thanks again to "Lords and Ladies" for these lists of medieval games and entertainment:
OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT
- Archery - Archery contests were especially popular
- Bowls
- Colf - the ancestor of Golf
- Gameball - a simple football game
- Hammer-throwing
- Hurling or Shinty - a similar game to hockey
- Horseshoes - throwing horseshoes at a target
- Quarter-staff contests
- Skittles - an ancestor of modern ten-pin bowling
- Stoolball - an ancestor of Cricket
- Wrestling
- Chess
- Tables - Backgammon
- Nine Men's Morris
- Alquerques - A classic period strategy game, an ancestor of Checkers
- Fox & Geese - a game of strategy
- The Philosophers Game - a game of strategy and numbers
- Shovelboard - the ancestor of shuffleboard
- Knucklebones - Early game of dice
- Hazard - an ancestor of Craps
What Instruments Were Used? Instruments in the Middle Ages include tambourines, drums, cymbals, triangles, flute, trumpet, lizards, gemshorn, crumhorn, bagpipe, recorder, shawn, pipe, harp, fiddle, rebec, psaltery, dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, and the viol. Here is a list from "Lords and Ladies" which includes small descriptions of each.
- The Harp - The harp was a favorite instrument of the troubadours and minstrels and was about 30 inches in length
- The Fiddle - There were a variety of Medieval Fiddles which were played with a bow or plucked and usually held under the chin or in the crook of the arm. Easily portable and one of the most popular street musical instruments
- The Rebec - The rebec was an instrument with a round pear-shaped body much like an early violin
- The Psaltery - The Psaltery was a musical instrument of the Middle Ages which was a cross between a harp and a guitar
- The Dulcimer - The Dulcimer was played by striking the strings with small hammers
- The Hurdy-gurdy - the hurdy-gurdy was introduced to England during the 12th century - the bow was replaced by strings attached to a wheel which was cranked by a handle
- The Viol - Viols were played with a bow and held on the lap or between the legs
- The Flute - Similar to our modern flutes. This type of Musical instruments played by flute-minstrels of the Middle Ages
- The Trumpet - Long instrument made of metal, often in four parts - often associated with fanfares and pageants
- The Pipe - The pipe was an extremely basic instrument usually having only three melody holes
- The Shawn - The shawn was a reed instrument with vent holes
- Recorder - The recorder was also an extremely basic instrument with melody holes
- The Bagpipe - The Bagpipe was an ancient instrument, used by the poorest people and was made using a goat or sheep skin and a reed pipe
- The Crumhorn - The crumhorm (Curved Horn) was introduced in the 1400's as a double reed musical instrument
- The Gemshorn - The gemshorn was made of an ox horn and played as a flute-like musical instrument
- The Lizard - The lizard was a descriptive term for an s-shaped horn
- The Drum - Drums were made initially from a hollow tree trunk, clay or metal and covered by skins of water animals - also called tambours
- The Cymbal - Thin round concave metal plates
- The Triangle - The triangle was a musical instrument introduced during the 14th century
- The Tambourine - This Musical instrument was traditionally used by a woman
Life in a Medieval Town
Craftworkers: Craftworkers, or craft guilds, were in the profession of art. They could be masons, carpenters, painters, cloth makers, tanners, bakers, shoemakers or cobblers, apothecaries, or candle makers.
Merchants: According to Google Definitions, A medieval merchant was a business-person that would travel to trade goods with other villages. A medieval merchant would source his supplies and sell them to various customers at markets or medieval fairs. Merchants traded items such as spices, wines, food, raw materials, furs, cloth, glass, and jewels. Merchants could travel by horse to get to the Silk Road.
Other Workers: Look at collage below to see professions of other workers.
Guilds: Becoming a guild had the advantage of joining a higher social rank. Guilds studied a trade profession such as baking or being a blacksmith, and then would work at a store which sold/made these things. Groups of people would join together to start a store.
Merchants: According to Google Definitions, A medieval merchant was a business-person that would travel to trade goods with other villages. A medieval merchant would source his supplies and sell them to various customers at markets or medieval fairs. Merchants traded items such as spices, wines, food, raw materials, furs, cloth, glass, and jewels. Merchants could travel by horse to get to the Silk Road.
Other Workers: Look at collage below to see professions of other workers.
Guilds: Becoming a guild had the advantage of joining a higher social rank. Guilds studied a trade profession such as baking or being a blacksmith, and then would work at a store which sold/made these things. Groups of people would join together to start a store.
Craftworkers
Merchants
Other Workers
Guilds
The Crusades
By the 1060s, the Holy Land (Palestine) was controlled by Muslim Turks. The Turks threatened Christian visitors to the Holy Land and attacked the Byzantine Empire of the Christians. When the Turks beat the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, Christians everywhere felt that their religion was in serious danger. After the Turks victory, Pope Urban II urged Christians from across Europe to go on a Crusade. The purpose: to drive the Turks out of the Holy Land. (Paragraph from my teacher)
Pope Urban II Calling Christians to War Against Turks
CHristian VIctory
The First Crusade took Christian warriors 3 years to reach Jerusalem. The Christians claimed victory when they surrounded the city. (from my teacher)
Saladin and Muslim SOldiers
The Second Crusade proved victorious from Muslim leader, Saladin, as the Muslims recaptured Jerusalem due to the fact that the Christians returned home after the First Crusade and left Jerusalem weak and able to be attacked. (from my teacher)
King RIchard the Lion Heart
The Third Crusade was led by many European rulers. Although they won many battles, they never won back Jerusalem. (from my teacher)
Saint Marks Cathedral
The Fourth Crusade only went as far East as Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Although the Crusaders were fighting on the same side as the Byzantines, they attacked Constantinople, stole many of their treasures, and ruled the city for over a half century. (from my teacher)
Knights Templar
Teutonic Knights
Hospitaller Knights
heraldry and Coat of Arms
Coat of Arms showed in battles which side you were on. It also payed tribute to the king. Below is King Henry II's Coat of Arms.