knights

The knights were heavily armored soldiers who rode on horseback. They needed very expensive armor, weapons, and a powerful war horse. The first knights of the Middle Ages fought for Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, in the 700s.

Knights were a very respected and important part to the Feudal system. They owned land and in return they had to protect their lord

Only the wealthiest nobles could afford to be a knight

plague

This disease was highly contagious. It spread across Europe. It was so widespread and so deadly that it is estimated to have killed one fourth of all the people in Europe

About 50 million people died

Death spread across Europe in the years 1346-53

Infected people broke out in a rash on their arms and neck that had red ring shaped marks with dark center spot that looked like a rose. They would then get a a high fever, become unconscious, and finally die

The disease is cause by bacteria spread by black rats.

castles

Castles were primarily built during the wars of the late Middle Ages for the purpose of protection

castles had walls that were only about 15 to 20 feet and some of them were 30 feet tall

the main parts of a castle are the battlements, lords chambers, dungeon, great hall, gardens, and their flags

siege weapons

There are different kinds of siege weapons that are Ballista, Catapult, battering rams, Trebuchets, there are more but this is 4.

The ballista, plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an ancient missile weapon that launched a large projectile at a distant target

A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. In use since ancient times, the catapult has proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during warfare

A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare

A trebuchet is a type of catapult, a common and powerful type of siege engine which uses a swinging arm to throw a projectile. The traction trebuchet, also referred to as a mangonel at times, first appeared in Ancient China during the 4th century BC as a siege weapon

Vikings

The Vikings were people who lived in Northern Europe during the Middle Ages They originally settled the Scandinavian lands that are today the countries of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway

The Vikings would board their long ships and head across the waters to attack villages on the northern coast of Europe, including islands such as Great Britain. They first showed up in England to attack villages in 787 CE. The Vikings were known to attack defenseless when they attacked. This got them a bad reputation as barbarians, but to the Vikings, monasteries were wealthy and undefended easy targets

peasants/serfs

Peasants in the middle ages were mainly agricultural farmers who worked in lands that were owned by a lord. The lord would rent out his land to the peasants in exchange for economic labor

Peasants lived in towns on the lord's manor. Houses were constructed of stone or of branches covered with mud and straw. There were generally two rooms in the home.

Peasant men wore stockings or tunics, while women wore long gowns with sleeveless tunics and wimples to cover their hair. Sheepskin cloaks and woolen hats and mittens were worn in winter for protection from the cold and rain.