Madonna and child (Donatello) The way people thought about each other in the Middle Ages, everyone was involved in complicated systems of relationships with each other. The first relationships people had were with their own families. In medieval European families, most kids lived with their father and mother and brothers and sisters. Because people died [...]
Palazzo Vecchio, where Florence's medieval government met (Florence, Italy, 1200s AD) Different kinds of medieval governments In the Middle Ages, Europe split up into many different states. Each state had its own system of government. Some of these, like Denmark, Spain, France or England, were monarchies, and had kings or caliphs to rule them. Central Italy was ruled by the Pope, [...]
Medieval feudalism: Harold swears an oath to William (Bayeux Tapestry, about 1077 AD) What is feudalism? Feudalism is a way to govern a large state when the king is poor and not very powerful, and when there aren't good roads so it is hard to communicate with people who live far away at the other end of [...]
