1
00:00:03,310 --> 00:00:07,209
The Middle Ages was a very long period in history.

2
00:00:08,310 --> 00:00:11,230
It started with the fall of the Roman Empire.

3
00:00:12,529 --> 00:00:18,370
In the Middle Ages, about a thousand years ago, most people were peasants.

4
00:00:19,269 --> 00:00:22,989
They lived in small villages near a castle for protection.

5
00:00:23,269 --> 00:00:31,149
They farmed the land and they lived in small huts made of straw, mud and wood.

6
00:00:31,149 --> 00:00:42,000
Noblemen lived in large manors or castles.

7
00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,740
They owned most of the land.

8
00:00:45,740 --> 00:00:51,100
Castles had towers and a moat that surrounded it.

9
00:00:51,100 --> 00:00:56,939
The people would work on the land for the noblemen.

10
00:00:56,939 --> 00:01:05,920
In this picture you can see the moat surrounding the castle and the very high towers and walls.

11
00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:12,799
In the next picture you will see why these were very important.

12
00:01:12,799 --> 00:01:17,840
Sometimes the noblemen would have battles.

13
00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:24,219
That must have been quite scary, don't you think?

14
00:01:24,219 --> 00:01:28,840
In this picture we can see a kitchen inside a castle.

15
00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:37,469
Look how many people were preparing the lunch.

16
00:01:37,469 --> 00:01:39,049
These were some knights.

17
00:01:39,049 --> 00:01:41,769
The knights fought in wars.

18
00:01:41,769 --> 00:01:49,599
They wore armour and rode horses and carried a sword.

19
00:01:49,599 --> 00:01:52,079
Monks lived in monasteries.

20
00:01:52,079 --> 00:01:59,659
They copied books and prayed.

21
00:01:59,659 --> 00:02:06,219
In this picture we can see inside a monastery with two monks and some of the books that

22
00:02:06,219 --> 00:02:08,580
they were copying.

23
00:02:08,580 --> 00:02:14,030
Books were very, very precious in the Middle Ages.

24
00:02:14,030 --> 00:02:18,650
Monasteries were large buildings with many rooms for the monks.

25
00:02:18,650 --> 00:02:24,780
They had a church and a courtyard.

26
00:02:24,780 --> 00:02:30,219
Merchants and craftsmen sold their products at markets.

27
00:02:30,219 --> 00:02:36,719
People would come from a long way to buy their things.

28
00:02:36,719 --> 00:02:43,400
When people travelled in the Middle Ages, they travelled on foot, or by horse, or by

29
00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:44,400
cart.

30
00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:52,599
And here you can see them travelling.

31
00:02:52,599 --> 00:02:58,840
and cathedrals were very important religious buildings and sometimes they

32
00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:07,620
took a hundred years to build. The Middle Ages ended when Christopher Columbus

33
00:03:07,620 --> 00:03:11,960
discovered America in 1492.