Life in medieval England
Most people were farmers who lived in the same villages all of their lives. Some were Peasants with privileges who held their own land and did not pay rent. owning their own land but many were Someone who worked without pay for their lord in return for land. who worked for their lord in return for some land. Most people ate what they grew. Other things they needed they would either make themselves or buy in local markets. The markets were in towns where craftspeople, merchants and traders lived with their servants. The making and selling of goods was controlled by the different An association of craftsmen or merchants, which set standards for the quality and price of goods. which had a lot of power. Everything was made by hand and artists and craftspeople were greatly valued.
England had a mainly The primary sector involves extracting raw materials, rearing animals and growing crops. , producing raw materials. Its most valuable export was high quality wool which merchants sold to weavers in the Collective term for the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium. who made it into cloth. Kings who wanted to increase their wealth to fight wars did so by taxing goods coming in and out of England. They realised that England - and the Crown - would be richer if people learned how to weave fine woollen cloth themselves and sell it overseas.
Death was very present in people’s lives. Many mothers died in childbirth, infant mortality was high and in the mid 14th century the A disease that spread across Europe killing up to half of the population. killed up to half the population. This caused a serious labour shortage: England needed farm workers, servants and craftspeople all over the country.
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