1d Towns And Village Life Flashcards
What were the features of life in the countryside?
Life was based around farming strips of land and animals such as cows,pigs and sheep were kept for food and clothing.
The work physically tough and women were expected to stay at home.
Like in towns, the church was at the centre of lives and people looked forward to feast days, although there were less feast days than in the towns.
What were the features of life in the towns?
Trade was controlled by the tolls, which was where money had to be paid on things that were bought and sold.
To have a market stall, traders had to pay a fee to town officials.
Arguments life was better in towns:
If you were a villein and ran away from the lord of the manor, you would get freedom if you lived in a town for a year.
Being part of a guild allowed you to trade freely.
Jobs were more varied than in the countryside. Popular jobs included being a butcher and a blacksmith.
you could become an apprentice at 14 and get a career in these interesting jobs.
What special features did jewish people have?
A special charter started jewish people did not have to pay tolls and duties in towns that other people had to pay. In return for this they had to accept being taxed in anyway the king wanted.
king John made this gift official in his charter of 1201. The jewish population were very wealthy and could be exploited for their money at any time.
How was jewish people taken advantage of (exploited) for their money?
Jewish people had to pay a large amount towards King Richard’s ransom £3,375.
King John charged jewish people £2,700.
People would borrow money from Jewish money lenders and then attack or even kill who they owed money so they didn’t have to pay the money back.
What was the main cause of antisemitism (hatred of jewish people)?
jewish people were seen a crist killers. As most people were christians in england, they saw the jews as being the only group of people in history responsible for jesus christs death.
What was two other features of antisemitism?
As more and more jewish people entered the country, people became more and more jealous of their rights to lend money and demand large levels of interest. This was called Usury and christians was not allowed to practice Urury as the bible said it was illegal.
The crusade and the call for action in the holy land built up anti jewish feelings in england. at the crowning ceremony of Richard I in 1189, the jewish community of london stepped forward to offer him a gift and this was by people as highly offensive.
This was a trigger which caused the series of attacks on the jewish communities right throughout the century.
