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Medieval Crafts and Trades: An Overview
How medieval workshops were run, how apprentices learned, and the range of trades, from cloth and metal to bread, building and books, in European towns.
Power and Work
Crafts and Workshops
The trades that made cloth, metal, bread and books in medieval towns.
Apprenticeship in a Medieval Workshop
How young people entered a trade in medieval towns, what apprenticeship contracts typically required of master and apprentice, and how training ended.
Dyeing Cloth with Woad, Madder and Weld
How medieval dyers used woad for blue, madder for red and weld for yellow, why mordants mattered, and how the dyer's trade was organized in towns.
Medieval Bakers, Brewers and Butchers
Why medieval towns closely regulated bakers, brewers and butchers, how assizes tied bread and ale prices to grain, and what punishments cheats faced.
Medieval Pottery, Glass and Stained Glass Making
How medieval potters, glassmakers and stained glass artisans worked: clay and kilns, forest glass, colored panes, lead cames and the steps of a window.
Stonemasons and the Building Lodge
What medieval stonemasons did, how a building lodge was organized at a cathedral site, why masons cut marks into stones, and how skills were passed on.
The Blacksmith and Medieval Metalwork
How a medieval blacksmith worked at the forge, which iron tools and fittings he made, and why the smith was a key figure in village and town life.
Wool, Weaving and the Cloth Trade
Follow medieval wool from sheep to finished cloth: shearing, carding, spinning, weaving, fulling and finishing, and how the cloth trade was organized.
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Feudalism and Knighthood How feudal ties and the knightly code organized medieval rule. Farming and Trade Fields, guilds, markets and the hardship of famine. Heraldry and Coats of Arms Shields, symbols and the heralds who kept track of them. Knights and Warfare The knightly code, honor and how medieval battles were fought. Kingship and Law How kings ruled and how law and justice worked. Battles and Campaigns Famous battles and what they changed. Tournaments and Chivalry Mock battles, jousts, knightly orders and the ideals behind them. Sieges and Weapons How castles and towns were attacked and defended, and the arms used. Kings and Rulers Profiles of medieval monarchs and nobles and the politics around them. Norman and Angevin Kings Rulers from William the Conqueror to the Angevin kings. Late Medieval Monarchs English and French kings of the later Middle Ages. Magna Carta The charter of 1215, its clauses and its legacy. Chivalry and Honor The ideals of knightly conduct, honor and loyalty, and how they changed. Feudal Society and Estates Feudalism, the manor and the three estates of medieval society. Economy and Commerce Trade, guilds, money and the movement of news and goods. Justice, Trials and Punishments How medieval courts judged crimes, from ordeals and duels to fines and executions. Manor, Serfdom and Tithes The rural system of manors, unfree peasants and church dues. Peasants Revolts Rural risings and what they demanded, with the real dates and places. Ireland, Scotland and Wales Medieval life and politics on the Celtic fringe of Britain and Ireland.