Directory of Daily Life Resources

Home > Society > History > By Time Period > Middle Ages > Daily Life

The Middle Ages is generally defined as being from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century AD until the beginning of the Renaissance in the mid 15th Century AD. Daily Life of people in the Middle Ages encompasses such aspects as food, clothing, health, customs, religion, crime and punishment and leisure activities.

Subcategories

• Clothing
• Urban
• Women

Resources in This Category

• Collection: Medieval and Anglo Saxon Recipes

  http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/med-anglosaxon-coll.html
  Medieval and Anglo Saxon Recipes, taken from the "British Museum Cookbook" by Michelle Berriedale-Johnson

• Food in England Since 1066 -- A Vegetarian Evolution? - Part 1: The Middle Ages

  http://www.ivu.org/history/renaissance/middle-ages.html
  An article about vegetarian diets in the Middle Ages, detailing specific foods and the ways in which they were used. Relevant quotes from various secondary sources are included with a commentary from the writer of the article.

• Footwear of the Middle Ages

  http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SHOEHOME.HTM
  An examination of the history, development, and techniques up to the end of the 16th century.

• Forme of Cury

  http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/foc/
  Medieval recipes from "A Roll of Ancient English Cookery", which was compiled about 1390 CE.

• GodeCookery.Com

  http://www.godecookery.com/godeboke/godeboke.htm
  A selection of recipes and cookery books and related information, mainly from the late Middle Ages.

• Historical Recipes of Different Cultures

  http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/index.html
  This site has sections on both Anglo-Saxon and general Medieval recipes. It lists the recipes themselves with some detail on customs and ritual associated with the meals.

• Life in a Medieval Castle

  http://www.castlewales.com/life.html
  Brief account of daily life in a Medieval Castle. Touches on such aspects as religion, hygiene and water.

• Manorial Language

  http://home.olemiss.edu/~tjray/medieval/manorial.htm
  Definitions of terms used on the manor.

• Meals & Manners

  http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/special/lifemann/manners/
  The page is part of Harvard's Geoffrey Chaucer page, and it contains information on what food was eaten and the manner in which it was consumed, with links expanding the text.

• Medica: The Society for the Study of Healing in the Middle Ages

  http://machias.edu/faculty/necastro/medica/
  Society interested in medicine in medieval times. Includes an extensive bibliography, related links and an events list. Hosted by the University of Maine.

• Medieval Mustard

  http://www.greydragon.org/library/mustard.html
  Medieval recipes and uses for mustard are included in this page, drawing heavily on primary sources.

• Medieval Pottery Research Group

  http://www.medievalpottery.org.uk/
  For those with an interest in pottery vessels made, traded, and used in Europe between the end of the Roman period and the 16th century.

• Medieval Rules and Rituals: Love and Marriage

  http://www.dfwx.com/medieval_cult.html
  A collection of essays on the topic of Medieval relationships.

• Medieval Technology Page

  http://scholar.chem.nyu.edu/tekpages/Technology.html
  A very interesting look at medieval technology; how it was created, how it worked, and how it was used.

• Medieval Women An Interactive Exploration

  http://mw.mcmaster.ca/home.html
  An interactive website featuring aspects of medieval women's daily lives, such as life in a religious order, or life for members of different classes of society.

• Middle Ages

  http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/
  Knights in shining armor, lavish banquets, wandering minstrels, kings, queens, bishops, monks, pilgrims, and glorious pageantry, but it was harsh, uncertain, and often dangerous.

• Plague and Public Health in Renaissance Europe

  http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/osheim/intro.html
  This project involves the creation of a hypertext archive of narratives, medical consilia, governmental records, religious and spiritual writings and images documenting the arrival, impact and response to the problem of epidemic disease in Western Europe between 1348 and 1530.

• Tales of the Middle Ages: Food and Drink

  http://www.godecookery.com/mtales/mtales14.htm
  A look at what was cooked and how.

• The 'Law Merchant' and the Fair Court of St. Ives, 1270-1324

  http://www.stevesachs.com/papers/paper_thesis.html
  A detailed analysis of the "law merchant" and commercial law in the Middle Ages, focusing on the court records of a medieval English fair.

• The Great Famine and the Black Death

  http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/black_death.html
  Lectures on the famine of 1315-1317 and the Black Death, by Lynn Harry Nelson, The University of Kansas.

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to Ancient Cookery

  http://www.panix.com/~nexus/cooking/
  These recipes are aimed at modern re-creation, but the original recipes are given.

• The Medieval Paupers

  http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/paupers.html
  The Medieval Paupers, a lecture by Lynn Harry Nelson, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. Nelson examines Medieval paupers by categorising them into three groups, physically incompetent, socially marginalised and economically deprived and examines factors contributing to this state, as well as outcomes of this state.

• The Peasants: Advances in Agricultural Technology, 800-1000

  http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/peasants.html
  A lecture on medieval agricultural technology and its relationship with the daily lives of peasants by Lynn Harry Nelson, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.

• The Royal and Delightful Game of Piquet

  http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/andrew.cmu.edu/org/Medieval/www/src/contributed/grm/games/piquet.html
  The game of Piquet (or Cent, the game's English name in this period), has been played since at least the end of the 15th century. This site provides instructions on how to play the game.

• The Sundering of Society 1350-1500

  http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/sundering_society.html
  A lectures in medieval history, by Lynn Harry Nelson, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. Nelson examines the divisions in society and how the lives of individuals in the difference classes were effected.

• The Vikings - Snayfwickby

  http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/village.htm
  Contain information about aspects of daily Viking life such as eating habits, animal rearing and travel. The site is aimed at 7 to 8 year old children, and was produced by Snaith Primary School in East Yorkshire, England.

• The Visigothic Code - Forum Ludicum

  http://libro.uca.edu/vcode/visigoths.htm
  The Law Code in translation with a preface.

• Viking Age Foodstuffs

  http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/vikfood.html
  Archaeological Finds of Ninth- and Tenth-Century Viking Foodstuffs

• Viking Answer Lady Webpage - Daily Life In Viking Age Scandinavia Page

  http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/VALDailyLife.shtml
  Contains detailed information about such aspects of Viking daily life as clothing, food, naming practices and sexual politics. Contains some analysis of primary sources to provide this information.

• Viking Men's Clothing

  http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/mensgarb.html
  While this site is intended for individuals interested in reconstructing historical costume, many details of Viking men's costume are analysed. These include materials used, general types of clothing and ornamentation.

• Wichamstow Village

  http://www.regia.org/village.htm
  Roland Williamson presents a fictional village to illustrate the type of buildings the Anglo-Saxons created and the daily life of villagers. Hosted by Regia Anglorum.

• Women Left Behind (Women in World History Curriculum)

  http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine3.html
  A brief study of the impact of the Crusades on women. Includes links to information on Women of note.

Related Categories

• Home > Recreation > Living History > By Historical Region > Europe > Medieval
• Home > Regional > Europe > United Kingdom > England > Society and Culture > History > Anglo-Saxon
• Home > Society > History > By Topic > Social History
• Home > Society > History > By Topic > Social History > Domestic Life
• Home > Society > People > Women > History > Medieval

 

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