Raise your sword in salute to the young historians at work here!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Time to review what you know about becoming a member of a medieval guild!
You have been working on your Medieval Banquet and Faire projects for several weeks. Hopefully you've learned a lot about how a person in the Middle Ages would become a member of a craft or merchant guild. So, it is time for you to do a quick review of this process!
- Go to this web site and read about guilds. http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages_guilds.php
- Go to this second web page and take the quiz. Make sure you click DONE at the bottom of the quiz and then wait for your score. http://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages_guilds_questions.php
- Finally, do the exit ticket.
This whole process shouldn't take you very long...maybe 15 minutes!
The pictures below show various medieval guilds
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Thursday, April 4, 2013
Musicians in the Middle Ages
The life of a musician (also called a minstral) in the middle ages was generally seen as a desirable one. Minstrals might wander from town to town, playing at village squares or in ale houses, or they might be employed by a wealthy or royal family to play at a lord's feast or at a gathering at the royal court. Minstrals told stories through song, the most popular stories and tales being related to romance or the life of a knight. When traveling, minstrals might use light weight instruments like a fiddle or lute. If employed by a wealthy household or at the royal court, a musician might play heavier instruments like a tabor, clarion, or even bagpipes.
One interesting instrument from the middle ages is the hurdy gurdy.
How to play a Hurdy Gurdy from English Heritage on Vimeo.
You can see more pictures of this instrument and listen to some audio clips at this web site: http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/hurdy.htm
One interesting instrument from the middle ages is the hurdy gurdy.
How to play a Hurdy Gurdy from English Heritage on Vimeo.
You can see more pictures of this instrument and listen to some audio clips at this web site: http://www.music.iastate.edu/antiqua/hurdy.htm
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Medieval Market Then and Now!
There is an interesting town in England called Norwich. It was once a Saxon town and a thriving trade center. It became a Norman town under William the Conqueror and he founded a castle there between 1066 and 1075. Interestingly, the market still exists in Norwich today, and there are over 190 stalls with people selling all sorts of things from food to clothing and more! Here is a link to an interactive map of what the market place looked like in the year 1300 and what sorts of things people were selling: http://www.norwich-market.org.uk/Medieval/wares.shtm . Roll your cursor over the pictures bordering the map for more information! Here is a link to what the market looks like today: market.org.uk/stalls/stalls_videos_WMV/stalls_WMV.shtm Roll your cursor over the numbers on the booths for information about what is being sold there today!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Medieval Guilds and Trade Fairs
The Crusades focused people's attention on religion, but they ended up having a powerful impact on Medieval Life in another way. They helped introduce people in Europe to new products from other countries, like spices, scented soaps, colorful rugs, and more. As people wanted to have these and other products, new trade routes opened and people from many countries began transporting their goods by land and by sea. Along some of the main routes, trade fairs were set up so merchants could sell their goods. Go to this web site and read more: http://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/tradefairs.html.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Medieval Guilds
Knights and nobles weren't the only ones who used coats-of-arms. Medieval Guilds would often display a coat-of-arms in their guild hall. A guild was a group of skilled craftsmen who did the same job. So, a group of shoemakers living in the same town would have formed a guild to make sure shoes were made to a certain standard of quality, to make sure that they sold for a fair price, and to make sure that their members had specific skills. To become a guildsman, a person had to go through three steps: apprentice, journeyman, and finally, a master. The two shields above represent the blacksmith guild and the shoemaker guild.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Heraldry in American History.
The Arms of George Washington, 1st President of the United States. His shield appears on the Purple Heart as seen below. The original Purple Heart was established by George Washington as a Badge of Military Merit when he was Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, 1782. Today it is a United States military decoration awarded by the President to those who have been wounded or killed while in service since April 5, 1917.
Modern Day Heraldic Artist works magic!
The art of heraldry is practiced today. Andrew Stewart Jamieson creates magnificent coats-of-arms. See the video below.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Heralds record Coats-of-Arms in books called Rolls of Arms
The above picture is of a page from the Hyghalmen Roll, Germany, dating back to 1485.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The Science of Heraldry
Heraldry, a system of using a variety of shapes and symbols on a shield or coat of arms to identify an individual or family, is almost 900 years old. The use of symbols on shields can be seen in the Bayeux Tapestry, a tapestry which we studied earlier this year and which is thought to have been made in the 1070's. It became a herald's job to create and keep records of the symbols and coats of arms. Go to the web site for the International Heraldry & Heralds to learn more and see amazing images:
http://www.internationalheraldry.com/
Below is a full achievement of arms
To play a heraldry game requiring skill, Click Here! To create a shield online, Click Here!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Enjoy Our Illuminated Manuscripts!
Medieval
Research and Manuscript Assignment