easants
f you were born into poverty during the middle ages, life would have been very
difficult. Many children born in poor homes did not live to see their second
birthdays. Food was scarce for the poor and many children were malnourished.
When a young child died, he or she was often buried in the yard, much like
we bury family pets today. Parents did not really become close with their
children because it was unlikely that they would live very long.
f you were poor and survived, you spent much of your time working for the
leige lord. This was the person who owned the land where you worked. Wealth
was measured by land ownership, not money. So if you didn't own land, you
worked for those who did. Life was very hard for poor people. Play for the lower
classes would not have been common. Girls sometimes played with dolls called
poupees. The word "doll" didn't come into the language until the 17th century. They also
played with rattles and noise makers made out of beans or seeds and gourds. Poor
children might have participated in outdoor play, with games similar to tag. They only
played once their work was finished, which didn't happen often since most poor children
worked long, hard days.
ouses were, at most, shacks and villages had ten to sixty families living in
hut-shaped shacks with dirt floors and no windows. People had great fear of the
dark and many of the fairy tales we know today grew out of the fears of these
people. Wolves were feared, like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. Trolls were
also believed to have lived in the woods.
f you were poor, you probably only had one or two pieces of clothing. Poor
people bathed about once a year. They did not know about germs and the
benefits of keeping clean. It was expensive to heat water and there were usually
no wells or running water near the homes. Poor people wore cloth shoes in good
weather and wooden clogs in bad weather. Only the nobility had leather shoes. A
chatelaine was a chain or ribbon a girl wore around her waist or neck that held a pair of
scissors, a thimble, and a needle for sewing. Pins were very expensive because of the
fine metal work required to make them. Often times, a poor woman would have to save
for years to be able to buy one.
he chimney was not invented until many years after Gisela, Adela, and Isabelle
lived. Fires in the house were built on a stone hearth and the smoke was
vented through a hole in the ceiling. Many homes burned because indoor fires
got out of control.
difficult. Many children born in poor homes did not live to see their second
birthdays. Food was scarce for the poor and many children were malnourished.
When a young child died, he or she was often buried in the yard, much like
we bury family pets today. Parents did not really become close with their
children because it was unlikely that they would live very long.
f you were poor and survived, you spent much of your time working for the
leige lord. This was the person who owned the land where you worked. Wealth
was measured by land ownership, not money. So if you didn't own land, you
worked for those who did. Life was very hard for poor people. Play for the lower
classes would not have been common. Girls sometimes played with dolls called
poupees. The word "doll" didn't come into the language until the 17th century. They also
played with rattles and noise makers made out of beans or seeds and gourds. Poor
children might have participated in outdoor play, with games similar to tag. They only
played once their work was finished, which didn't happen often since most poor children
worked long, hard days.
ouses were, at most, shacks and villages had ten to sixty families living in
hut-shaped shacks with dirt floors and no windows. People had great fear of the
dark and many of the fairy tales we know today grew out of the fears of these
people. Wolves were feared, like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. Trolls were
also believed to have lived in the woods.
f you were poor, you probably only had one or two pieces of clothing. Poor
people bathed about once a year. They did not know about germs and the
benefits of keeping clean. It was expensive to heat water and there were usually
no wells or running water near the homes. Poor people wore cloth shoes in good
weather and wooden clogs in bad weather. Only the nobility had leather shoes. A
chatelaine was a chain or ribbon a girl wore around her waist or neck that held a pair of
scissors, a thimble, and a needle for sewing. Pins were very expensive because of the
fine metal work required to make them. Often times, a poor woman would have to save
for years to be able to buy one.
he chimney was not invented until many years after Gisela, Adela, and Isabelle
lived. Fires in the house were built on a stone hearth and the smoke was
vented through a hole in the ceiling. Many homes burned because indoor fires
got out of control.
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