The housing of medieval citizens greatly differed from one social class to another and is a way to differentiate and categorize people in medieval society.
The pope had the best housing in the land. He would live in Rome and have a lavishly decorated palace where he would reside. The pope would live with court officials and secretaries. This palace was the most ornately decorated place of residence in Europe at the time, since the pope was seen as such an important official ("The Church in the Middle Ages").
The medieval castle was where the royalty, nobles, and knights all lived. Castles were typically placed close to the royalty's kingdom but also near a moat or cliff to make enemy invasions difficult. Castles were originally built using wood but later were built using stone for a sturdier building and more fortification. Within the castle walls were where more important classes in the feudal system lived. Royalty lived in a part of the castle called the keep, a very protected and heavily guarded system of rooms. Here, they would make important decisions for their kingdom ("Middle Ages Castles"). Nobles lived either in a different part of the keep or in small houses within the castle. These houses usually consisted of two floors: a top floor used as a bedroom for the lord and his family and a bottom floor called the solar where the family gathered. Usually, the nobles would share a common dining hall and ball room. The castle would also have stables and kitchens, both equipped with servants ("The Middle Ages: Nobles). Knights spent most of their time in the castle protecting it from invaders, using bow and arrows along with catapults atop the castle walls or through narrow slits in the walls called loop holes. A knight usually could travel from kingdom to kingdom to protect or spread news but if he were to stay in one castle for the night, he would typically stay in the bottom floor (solar) of a lord's house ("The Middle Ages: Knights"). A castle during the Dark Ages was a center for residence of society in any classes.
The pope had the best housing in the land. He would live in Rome and have a lavishly decorated palace where he would reside. The pope would live with court officials and secretaries. This palace was the most ornately decorated place of residence in Europe at the time, since the pope was seen as such an important official ("The Church in the Middle Ages").
The medieval castle was where the royalty, nobles, and knights all lived. Castles were typically placed close to the royalty's kingdom but also near a moat or cliff to make enemy invasions difficult. Castles were originally built using wood but later were built using stone for a sturdier building and more fortification. Within the castle walls were where more important classes in the feudal system lived. Royalty lived in a part of the castle called the keep, a very protected and heavily guarded system of rooms. Here, they would make important decisions for their kingdom ("Middle Ages Castles"). Nobles lived either in a different part of the keep or in small houses within the castle. These houses usually consisted of two floors: a top floor used as a bedroom for the lord and his family and a bottom floor called the solar where the family gathered. Usually, the nobles would share a common dining hall and ball room. The castle would also have stables and kitchens, both equipped with servants ("The Middle Ages: Nobles). Knights spent most of their time in the castle protecting it from invaders, using bow and arrows along with catapults atop the castle walls or through narrow slits in the walls called loop holes. A knight usually could travel from kingdom to kingdom to protect or spread news but if he were to stay in one castle for the night, he would typically stay in the bottom floor (solar) of a lord's house ("The Middle Ages: Knights"). A castle during the Dark Ages was a center for residence of society in any classes.
Peasants lived outside of the castle walls on the lord's land called a manor. They lived in small hits made of sticks or stones held together with mud or straw with a thatched roof. Most of these houses had two rooms: a small bedroom for the family and a small living room with very little furniture and dirt floors. A fireplace in this living room kept the family warm. Light was provided from windows without glass or with candles ("The Middle Ages: Peasants"). In fact when it got cold, peasants were known to bring their livestock into the family room to keep them warm!
Overall, the status of one's social class depended on their housing condition as a factor to compare one class to another in feudalism. Housing in the Dark Ages was a way to differentiate society at the time on a basis of social classes and provided a way to show historians how people in medieval times lived compared with each other and their roles in life.
Overall, the status of one's social class depended on their housing condition as a factor to compare one class to another in feudalism. Housing in the Dark Ages was a way to differentiate society at the time on a basis of social classes and provided a way to show historians how people in medieval times lived compared with each other and their roles in life.
Further Research:
Above is a video explaining some of the different parts of a castle
in the Middle Ages.
in the Middle Ages.
The video above this caption describes life on a lord's manor
and how it worked for the peasants. The peasants would work
the land on the lord's manor, the knights would protect the land,
and the nobles would make money off of the land.
and how it worked for the peasants. The peasants would work
the land on the lord's manor, the knights would protect the land,
and the nobles would make money off of the land.