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Life was hard in the Middle Ages mainly because of The Feudal System (also known as Feudalism). This system made life hard because there was a social hierarchy. This meant that life was sort of put into a pyramid. At the top was the people with supreme power, the King and Queen and basically everyone living in royalty. Next would be the tenants-in-chief (lords and bishops). Next down would be the sub-tenants (knights and lesser clergy). The lowest social group was the peasantry. These were the people that had a hard life, in fact, a VERY hard life. These people lived on minimal food and very hard labor. Basically if you were born into a peasant family, that's where you would be for the rest of your life and for your future generations. It was very rare that anyone could go higher up the social ladder, especially from the peasants. Unless of course you became a knight or married someone rich. Going up the social ladder by marrying someone rich was also extremely rare because noblewomen and noblemen back then, rarely married because of what we call today, true love. They married people who would either add to their wealth or be a good addition to their family's name.
That, of course, varied according to diet, climate, location, relative wealth, etc., but the answer is surely not as long as we do now. For starters, infants and children died at a horrific rate (some say up to 1/3 of all died before the age of 5) and a significant percentage of women died in association with childbirth: 5% perhaps from the birth itself, often dying with the child, and a further 15% from childbed fever–the infections that followed a poorly managed delivery (by our standards).
Following that, if a person made it out of childhood, they could be expected to live into their middle forties, provided they maintained good health and weren’t killed in war. Both those, of course, are big ‘ifs’.
Below is the recorded birth and death date for the adult royal family of Wales and associated Marcher relations, beginning with Joanna (the daughter of King John of England) and Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great, the Prince of Wales). Eliminating individuals who died before adulthood completely, from the dates recorded below, the mean life expectancy for women was 43.6 years, with a median of 42/43; for men, it was a mean of 48.7 and a median of 48/49.
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Was the infant mortality high or low in the middle ages?
protection are been used among them.. such as condom etc..
What was the average age that people in the middle ages died at?
Answer40 and people concidered them anchent AnswerAbout a third of the babies died before they were two. About half of the people died before they were 20 (this includes the infant mortality).Many women died in childbirth, and many men died in wars.But those who did not die in these ways often lived to be 60 or 70 or older, and there are parish registries with records of people living to be over 100.
Are the Middle Ages the same as the stone ages?
No. Let me expand that a bit. The "stone age" is the period before people learned to work metal. There are a number of division and subdivision as various technologies developed, but in general it means, at least in the context of Europe, before 5500 BCE. The Middle Ages are much later. It can refer in general to anytime from the collapse of the classical civilizations of the ancient world in Europe, through the start of the renaissance. There are different interpretations as to where exactly to draw the line, some date it from the fall of rome in 410 CE, others to 500 CE. Very roughly the middle ages last until 1500 CE, although the Renaissance was underway in parts of Europe before that. The early middle ages, sometimes called the Dark Ages, are from the start of the middle ages,where ever you date that, to about the year 1000. This is a period of decreased population, diminished city life, decay and almost end of long distance trade and money economy, and a nearly total loss of literacy outside of the church. There is something of a reboot around the year 1000, and things start to improve. Very gradually, cities grow, the economy improve, a merchant and urban class begins to develop. The period from 1000 to about 1200CE is known as the Central Middle Ages, The period from 1200 to 1500 is what most people think of when they hear "middle ages". This is the age of armored knights, chivalry, Chaucer, the medieval romances, the great Cathedrals, it is the setting of stories like Robin Hood and Ivanhoe. While still an agrarian society with a low literacy rate, this period has a vibrant urban culture, art, literature, and architecture we still consider inspirational. There is also a solid money economy with long distance trade. This period is called the "High Middle Ages".
How was trade in the middle ages in Europe?
Travel was very dangerous during the middle ages, because of limited technology (sailing ships are not nearly as reliable as modern ships that have engines) and because of general political chaos; travellers were often attacked. In addition, productivity was low, and most people only produced what they needed to support themselves as subsistence farmers, and therefore had nothing to trade anyway. The majority of the products currently being traded in the 21st century had not even been invented, or had not been commercially developed in the middle ages. Petroleum, currently the most valuable commodity in terms of international trade, was not traded or used during the middle ages; no one had yet invented a use for it.
Why were the Middle Ages a dark time for learning?
I have spent a fair amount of time investigating education in the Middle Ages, and I have no reason to believe learning was more widespread under the ancient Roman Empire. More people were educated in western Europe of the Renaissance, perhaps, than in the Middle Ages, but I doubt Western Europe of the Renaissance had a higher literacy rate than was achieved in most of the history of the medieval Byzantine Empire, even given the effects of the printing press. Certainly, there were medieval periods when the literary output was well below that of the best years of the Roman Empire or Renaissance. Nevertheless, there were times of similar low literary output in the history of the Roman Empire. And there were periods of the Middle Ages when literary output possibly exceeded that of the height of the ancient Roman Civilization. Our view of the Middle Ages has been very skewed by disparaging commentaries written about the Middle Ages by Renaissance writers, and it was further damaged by later modern historians who were enthralled with the Renaissance and willing to accept their views without doing further research. There is a link below to a related question on medieval education. You might also look at the question on medieval culture, checking the links from that question.
What was life expectancy of someone in the middle ages?
AnswerAverage Life Expectancy at birth in The Middle Ages was 35, but about one third died as children, if you could make it to your mid teens you could expect to live to your mid forties, early fifties. AnswerI was curious about this and did some research. About a third of the people died as infants, rather than as children, and the this produces different numbers. If you survived to the age of two, your life expectancy was to the early to mid fifties. A show on BBC (sorry, I forget the name) told about a study of bodies retrieved from the crypt of a church for reburial. The bodies were examined, and since it was possible to provide the names and dates for each, the ages of the people were known. Medical examiners were asked to estimate the ages, without knowing what they were. The resulting estimates was fairly uniformly ten years shy of the facts. For the middle ages, the implication is that the estimated age expectancy of the middle ages is that it would have been estimated as too low by several years if the estimate is based on archeology.I went into history and looked at 20 people whose ages could be calculated or estimated, who had not been professional soldiers or members of the high nobility, and who came from a mix of backgrounds. It turns out that they died with an average age of 64. Since they had all achieved the age of about 40, this would suggest that the life expectancy at 40 might have been to the mid sixties.
What is the life expectancy of children with macrocephaly?
may vary depending on how severe the disorder is. complications also contribute to life expectancy. less complications low life expectancy
What is Algerias' life expectancy?
3 1/2 years old. the life expectancy is low because of peadofiles and dragons.
Which factor would be most likely to cause a low life expectancy for a country?
Poverty, especially lack of food and medical care, causes a low life expectancy.
Why is Lithuania's life expectancy so low?
While Lithuania is ranked 88th in the world for life expectancy, it is not particularly low. According to the CIA World Factbook, in 2010 the life expectancy of Lithuanians is 70.23 years for men and 80.29 years for women.
Why is life expectancy so low in Afghanistan?
its low because Afghanistan is a developing country
Where does the US rank on life expectancy?
The United States is ranked #40 by the United Nations. The citizens of the United States have a generally low average life expectancy (ages 50-60) compared to the rest of the western world (ages 60-90). This is mostly caused by obesity, which is a major problem in the US, as well as smoking and poor healthcare system (if you don't have the money, you won't be treated).
Why is it that the life expectancy in mali is low?
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.94 yearsmale: 48 yearsfemale: 51.94 years (2008 est.)
What is a man's life expectancy?
A Mans Life Expectancy varies by country. in poor disease ridden (or polluted) countries the life expectancy can be as low as 45. The highest is, i believe to be, around 89-96. I don't know for sure.
What is life expectancy for men in Zimbabwe?
The 2009 life expectancy of Zimbabwe is 39 years and 3 months.
What is life expectancy for someone who has low hemoglobin due to cancer?
48 years
What is Madagascar's life expectancy rate?
the life expectancy of Madagascar is women 62 men 59
