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The development of castles started during the ninth century, and at that time members of the nobility started to live in castles during stressful times. A very few may have lived in castles permanently, but castles were very expensive to keep, and unless they were enormous, and enormously expensive, they tended to be very uncomfortable.
Later, the nobility tended to want to live in more comfortable manor houses out of sight of the villages, so the old manor house were left for new ones farther out in the country.
As more time passed, the wealth acquired from trade and financial services tended to accumulate in the hands of middle class people. They lived in towns and cities, and had town houses of a palatial scale. As cultural centers developed, members of the nobility also wanted to have town houses, and so began to move into housing similar to that of wealthy merchants.
Please see the links below.
There was a lot of change in the lives of rich people as the Middle Ages progressed.
During the Early Middle Ages, the rich people were nearly all members of the nobility. They lived on manors farmed by serfs. The rich people were of the warrior class, and many were knights. They had a lot of time to hunt and enjoy other pursuits, but they also had responsibilities to both the serfs below them and the higher nobles and monarch above. I addition, they were religious, for the most part, and went to church.
For rich people, clothes were pretty simple, food was simple, and homes were as comfortable as could be, which was pretty simple. Everything was finer and more expensive than what the serfs had, of course, but it was a matter of higher quality, a bit of fur here and there, and a few pieces of jewelry that made the difference.
With the passing of time, more people became rich. These were the middle class merchants, who, among other things, imported silk and spices from the east. The nobles got fancier clothes, the cloth might have been silk, the fur might have been ermine or miniver, and the cuts were intended to be stylish. The picture of the young fop with soft, pointed shoes half again as long as his feet comes from this era. Manor houses were built to be more comfortable, and food was cooked and seasoned by skilled chefs.
But the middle class providing these things to the nobility became rich themselves, and they were people who lived in cities rather than on manors. City life became more interesting, and cultural life became more important. Even members of the nobility wanted town houses. By the end of the Middle Ages, things had changed radically.
In the Early Middle Ages (476-1000 AD) most of the really wealthy people were members of the nobility. There were exceptions to this rule, however, especially in places with republican governments such as Venice. The Doge of Venice, who acted rather like a king, was and elected official, and such people were nearly always very wealthy. (see link below for Doge of Venice)
As the Middle Ages Progressed, a middle class developed, and a number of merchant and banking families arose whose members were not of the nobility, but were commoners. One early example is the family of Heloise, the wife of Peter Abelard, whose family is not really recorded, except that it is known that he was of the lowest level of nobility, and her family was below his social status. (see link below for Heloise) The banking families, such as the Medicis, are another example of wealthy people of the middle class. (see link below for Medici)
Rich people of the Middle Ages included members of the nobility. There was also a class of people who were free and wealthy, but not of the nobility, and some people today refer to them as the middle class.
Rich people of the nobility, including knights, tended to live in manor houses. Some of these were very like mansions. Others were fortified manor houses that looked rather like a castle, to the modern eye. Some of the wealthiest lived in castles, though most castles were uncomfortable. Kings tended to live in palaces, which were more like very fancy manor houses.
Wealthy people of the middle class tended to live in towns and cities, and had nice town houses.
There are links below to pictures of manor houses and the town houses of wealthy people.
There is also a link to a related question on palaces.
People that were rich during the Middle Ages did not work. People in the Middle Ages that were rich got their money by taxing other people.
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What was stolen in the middle ages?
The things that were stolen in the middle ages were mainly food that was stolen by the poor and there were organised gangs that would steel from the rich.
What is the modern myth about bathing in the middle ages?
There is a widespread belief that people did not bathe in the Middle Ages. This myth arises because bathing went out of practice during the Renaissance, when people worried that it was unhealthy and rich people could afford perfume. Since we have a tendency to regard the Renaissance as a period of improvement, we often ascribe anything about it that was unpleasant to the Middle Ages. During most of the Middle Ages, however, people regarded cleanliness as next to godliness, and kept themselves very clean. There is a link below.
What is a baldachin?
A baldachin is another term for a baldacchin, a rich, embroidered brocade used for clothing in the Middle Ages.
What are facts about London in the Middle Ages?
There are quite a number of interesting facts about London in the Middle Ages. There were many immigrants to the old Roman town due to the increases raids by Vikings, school was only attended by kids from the rich families and poor people worked odd jobs to make ends meet.
What is it true or false in medieval times countries grew rich from the goods produced by their factories?
There were no factories in the Middle Ages.
Was France rich in middle ages?
The monarchy was rich, but for the most part people weren't.
What two types of people lived in the middle-ages?
serfs and rich people
Did rich people in the middle ages have windows?
Medieval houses had windows. Rich people had glass in their windows, which poor people often did not.
What types of activities did rich people do in the middle ages?
They would enjoybear baitingdog fighting
Were knights rich or poor?
in the middle ages there were rich and poor knights
What best explains growth of the middle class in Europe?
There was no middle class in Europe in the middle ages. People were either very rich or very poor. Towards the late middle ages a merchant class did develop, but this couldn't be called "middle class". The concept of a middle class is a modern idea and actually began to develop after the industrial revolution.
What jobs did rich people do in the middle ages?
watch the servants as they worked and had jobs as knights,Barons and lords.
Were serfs rich or poor?
They were poor. They were probably the hardest working class of people in the middle ages, but they were also the poorest.
How did the rich people get washed in the middle ages?
Rich people of the Middle Ages usually had wooden bath tubs in their homes to bathe in. These tubs were sometimes rather large, and tubs for two people appear in medieval art. By contrast, poorer people bathed in public baths, much as the Romans had done. People in the countryside bathed in brooks if they had to. There is a link below.
Did they have any schooling in the middle ages?
yes but only royalty or if your very rich but not a lot of people then knew how to read or write
What was stolen in the middle ages?
The things that were stolen in the middle ages were mainly food that was stolen by the poor and there were organised gangs that would steel from the rich.
Were most kings literate during the middle ages?
Not necessarily, not many people even rich people were literate a king might have had an adviser to read for him.
