Peasant Fashion
If your tunic got torn, this was the medieval peasant solution: patch it with a scrap of…?
What is "Patch it with a Scrap of Wool"
Medieval peasants sometimes drank this hot beverage made from grains or herbs instead of scarce wine or ale.
What is herbal gruel?
Lords/Churches often forced peasants to give a portion of their crops to them, known as this
What is a tithe
Peasants dreaded these creatures that spread disease and feasted on livestock
What are flies?
The Church determined this important calendar, including feast days and holy holidays
What is the liturgical calendar?
Peasants often wore this simple type of footwear made from leather or cloth, usually fastened with a strap
What are sandals or turnshoes?
Peasants sometimes relied on this “famine bread,” made from acorns, bark, or other unusual sources, when grain ran out.
What is "bark bread"
Some lords were notorious for imprisoning peasants for trivial reasons, a practice called this
What is arbitrary or feudal justice
This common disease caused fevers, coughing, and death, often spreading through contaminated water
What is dysentery?
This tax, separate from the tithe, was often collected for the Pope or Church projects
What is Peter’s Pence?
This rough, homespun fabric was the go-to material for a medieval peasant’s tunic.
What is Wool
Medieval peasants followed the lunar calendar to determine the best times for this winter activity.
What is storing or planting crops?
Certain lords enforced this medieval law preventing peasants from leaving the land they worked
What is serfdom or villeinage?
Peasants often lost crops to this tiny invader, which could destroy wheat, barley, and oats
What are weevils or crop pests?
Peasants had to follow these rules of behavior set by the Church, which included fasting and abstinence
What are canon laws?
Peasants wore these wide belts to hold pouches, knives, or tools. It was basically a medieval version of…?
What is a Utility Belt
When snow was deep, peasants sometimes used this mode of transport to move goods or themselves.
What are sleds or sledges?
When lords monopolized local mills, bakers, or ovens, peasants had to pay this extra cost
What are feudal dues or banalités?
Medieval peasants sometimes blamed this group for bringing plagues, leading to tragic persecution
What are Jews?
This practice allowed wealthy Church officials to appoint priests to local parishes, sometimes ignoring peasant needs
What is simony?
Medieval peasants followed sumptuary laws, which meant they could not wear these luxurious fabrics.
What is silk or velvet?
This medieval health belief led peasants to eat “hot” or “dry” foods to combat the cold.
What is humoral theory or humors?
A lord’s court could fine peasants for minor offenses, known as this medieval practice
What is manorial court justice?
This ancient method involved burning aromatic herbs and incense inside homes to “purify the air” from miasmas believed to cause disease
What is fumigation or miasma theory practice?
The Church claimed the right to this legal authority over people’s wills and inheritance
What is ecclesiastical jurisdiction?