Peasants 

What was daily life like for peasants?  

Daily Life

Life for peasants was very hard.  They woke up early and they lived in very small towns or were farmers on the land belonging to a lord's manor.  Women spent time spinning cloth and taking care of their families.  The children worked extremely hard, too!   Some of the jobs they performed were:  farmers, merchants, blacksmiths, whitesmiths (silver workers), dyers, clergy, fishermen, boat makers, and weavers, spinners and tailors.  To see a picture of a medieval spinning wheel, click on the photo below.

Medieval Spinning Wheel

Entertainment

During the Medieval period, they had very little time for fun.  When they did have a few minutes, they played games like tag, kegeling (which was an early from of bowling), checkers and other board games.  They also enjoyed story telling and singing.  Click on the photo for a full size image.

Toys and Tools

Religion

Religion was a major part of their life, because it gave them hope for a better future (after-life).  Life was so hard for them that the only chance of a good life was in Heaven, so religion was a very important thing.

Education

The only group of people who were educated during Medieval times were the clergy.  Schools were mostly religions schools, because books had to be copied by hand.  The invention of the printing press in 1452 finally brought books to the common people.  To see a replica of a printing press, click on the photo below:

Medieval Printing Press

 Activities