How did life differ between the poor and rich in the middle ages?

Answer 1

This is like asking the difference between day and night. The poor lived in one room hovels with very little heat and light. They had pallets of straw on the dirt floor for beds and used tallow candles to see by. The tallow gave off a rancid smell and oily smoke so that left a smell along with the rushes on floor that were changed once a year. The hovels were cold in the winter and hot in the summer and often leaked when it rained. The poor worked the theNobel and just about the entire day was spent doing his work. They often had a small garden, but the main food source was barley. Barley breads and soup were eaten most often for all meals. Wheat was too expensive for them to buy. The clothing was simple and of colors of brown and black. It was decided by law what colors they could wear. The church ruled their life and told them that to go to heaven they had to repent from being born in sin, so they spent their life in this endeavor .Both estates required high taxes from them and when they died they also had to pay a death tax. The rich on the other hand lived better, but they too lived a pretty stinky life. Instead of one room hovels they did live in estates and houses of several rooms. Rushes were also on the floor that would contain left over food, dog feces, and critters of all sorts. In a great hall there would be one fireplace used so the area around the fireplace would be warm, but the rest of the hall cold. There was more food for the rich and it was prepared in a kitchen by serfs. They could afford wheat so the bread was much better and they had other foods to eat. Instead of working all the time they could hunt, play games, attend church services, ride their estates. The clothing was much better, but they too were dictated by what they could wear by law. Both groups didn't bathe very often and had problems with fleas, lice and other critters. The average age span was about 40 years old and to live longer was considered ancient. Most rich or poor couldn't read and the Church used this as a means of control with both groups. Life was hard in this time, but it was much harder if you were poor than rich.

Answer 2

The difference is that rich people had these black beans that were spreading nearly the hole house .And that they put there animals outside and poor put there animals inside.

Answer 3

Rich: Poor:

had lots of money were poor

owned land had no land

wore fancy clothes wore unclean clothes

Answer 4

rich had more food