1. In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or Medieval Period lasted from the 5th to the late 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery.
2. It was obviously more difficult to travel long distances in the middle ages than in our own time. That, however, does not mean people didn't travel! War and Crusade, politics and diplomacy, pilgrimage, trade—all these and more were reasons for people from all stations to move around, within Europe and beyond.
3. Peasant in medieval England: eight hours a day, 150 days a year. Sunday was the day of rest, but peasants also had plenty of time off to celebrate or mark Christian festivals. Economist Juliet Schor estimates that in the period following the Plague, they worked no more than 150 days a year.
1. In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or Medieval Period lasted from the 5th to the late 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery.
2. It was obviously more difficult to travel long distances in the middle ages than in our own time. That, however, does not mean people didn't travel! War and Crusade, politics and diplomacy, pilgrimage, trade—all these and more were reasons for people from all stations to move around, within Europe and beyond.
3. Peasant in medieval England: eight hours a day, 150 days a year. Sunday was the day of rest, but peasants also had plenty of time off to celebrate or mark Christian festivals. Economist Juliet Schor estimates that in the period following the Plague, they worked no more than 150 days a year.