Cunnan - User contributions [en]

12th Century literacy

2006-11-09T15:00:46Z

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The majority of the [[12th century]] populace was illiterate. This was not something imposed by the [[upper class]]es upon the lower, but instead simple a consequence of literacy being of little use to [[farmer]]s and suchlike, and not worth paying for.

For those who were well to do, but not [[noble]], occasionally [[school]]s would be run in town by clerics for a small fee. These would teach only the basics of learning. Boys who learned
well here could go into the [[clergy]] and follow a variety of [[lifestyle]]s from itinerant preacher, monk, teacher or pursue a career in academia if their skill was sufficient to attract a patron.

Nobles (or presumably anyone else with such a large budget) could employ a tutor to teach individual children or small groups of children. Noble girls and boys were taught alike, often the noble girls ending up with a better level of literacy than the boys who left early to become [[knight]]s.

[[12th Century Literature]] gives examples of noble ladies reading from [[book]]s as a commonplace thing. Possibly such ladies read more widely than their male counterparts, who may have considered reading a waste of time unless they were a scholar.

Literate persons in [[England]] and [[France]] could read and speak [[French]] (whether Anglo-Norman or continental dialect) as well as [[Latin]]. Often reading would be done aloud (even when alone) rather than silently, but this was not a sign of lack of literacy, meerly of different cultural rules in a society where reading was rarer. Running one's hand along the line to follow the words would not be unusual even in a well educated monk, but again, this does not imply a lesser reading skill - after all the reader was probably translating as they went - merely that with so many less books available than are today, speed reading had no reason to develop, and 12th century scholars could take more time to understand a piece of writing.

== Sources ==
Holmes

[[Category:12th century]]
[[Category:Education]]

12th Century Games

2006-11-09T15:00:31Z

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Old [[French]] [[literature]] mentions the [[game]]s [[chess]], and to a lesser extent [[tables]] as very typical [[knight]]ly pursuits. Noble ladies also might play these games.

[[Guingamor]] is spending a day at home being indisposed. He seeks out a companion and:
"After chatting a while, they went
to a game table (tablier) to amuse themselves" where they play chess (l'eschequier)
Later he approaches a [[castle]] where people have been "playing at backgammon or chess" ("As tables, as eschjouant" line 518, trans weingartner)

==Game Boards==
Game boards were usually much larger than modern boards. Boards were a square piece of wood, probably approximately 1m square, which was supported by a pair of trestle legs.(Holmes 1952, 43) Players would sit in chairs or benches at the board and might knock the board over if suddenly surprised.

==Chess==
[[12th Century]] [[Chess]] is not so dissimilar from modern chess that the game would be unrecocognised. A few rules differ however.....
*The queen moved one square on the diagonal.
*The bishop moved exactly two squares on the diagonal.
*The pawn moved as in modern chess, except did not have a double move opening, and only promoted to a queen (which was a weak piece).
*Removing all of the oponents pieces except the king, called a 'bare king', was a victory.
*There was no castling (combined move of the king and rook). (Alfonso)
*It was often played with dice used to select which pieces were allowed to move.

==Tables==
[[Tables]] is one a group of games which are predecessors to the modern game backgammon. This version is played on a board with [[dice]]. (Holmes 1952, p43)

==Other games==
*[[Draughts]] - similar to modern checkers (Holmes 1952 p43)

==Internal Links==
* [[Game]]s
* [[12th Century Life]]

== External Links ==
* [http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/goto?id=OBJ566 Isle of Lewis Chessmen]

[[Category:12th century]]
[[Category:games]]

12th Century Games

2006-11-09T14:55:31Z

72.10.120.66:

Old [[French]] [[literature]] mentions the [[game]]s [[chess]], and to a lesser extent [[tables]] as very typical [[knight]]ly pursuits. Noble ladies also might play these games.

[[Guingamor]] is spending a day at home being indisposed. He seeks out a companion and:
"After chatting a while, they went
to a game table (tablier) to amuse themselves" where they play chess (l'eschequier)
Later he approaches a [[castle]] where people have been "playing at backgammon or chess" ("As tables, as esch鳠jouant" line 518, trans weingartner)

==Game Boards==
Game boards were usually much larger than modern boards. Boards were a square piece of wood, probably approximately 1m square, which was supported by a pair of trestle legs.(Holmes 1952, 43) Players would sit in chairs or benches at the board and might knock the board over if suddenly surprised.

==Chess==
[[12th Century]] [[Chess]] is not so dissimilar from modern chess that the game would be unrecocognised. A few rules differ however.....
*The queen moved one square on the diagonal.
*The bishop moved exactly two squares on the diagonal.
*The pawn moved as in modern chess, except did not have a double move opening, and only promoted to a queen (which was a weak piece).
*Removing all of the oponents pieces except the king, called a 'bare king', was a victory.
*There was no castling (combined move of the king and rook). (Alfonso)
*It was often played with dice used to select which pieces were allowed to move.

==Tables==
[[Tables]] is one a group of games which are predecessors to the modern game backgammon. This version is played on a board with [[dice]]. (Holmes 1952, p43)

==Other games==
*[[Draughts]] - similar to modern checkers (Holmes 1952 p43)

==Internal Links==
* [[Game]]s
* [[12th Century Life]]

== External Links ==
* [http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/goto?id=OBJ566 Isle of Lewis Chessmen]

[[Category:12th century]]
[[Category:games]]

12th Century Life

2006-11-09T14:31:25Z

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Daily life in the [[12th Century]].

This set of articles is intended to be a scholarly (i.e. reference your sources) guide to the daily particulars of life in an interesting historical century, particularly in the area of [[England]] and [[France]], because these are easier to research. The chief aim is to describe the daily aspects of life (when you ate, how you went shopping, how much it cost, what you did for fun, etc.), rather than the grand historical events (although some of these will be needed to be linked to as background).

==12th Century Topics==
===Money===
*[[12th_Century_coins| coins]]
*[[12th_Century_monetary_units|monetary units]]
*[[12th_Century_purses|significance and use of purses]]
*[[12th_Century_taxes|taxes]]
*foreign coin
*[[12th_Century_prices|prices - worth of goods]]
===Shopping===
*[[12th_Century_shops|shops]]
*[[12th_Century_markets|markets]]
*[[12th_Century_fairs|fairs]]
*what to sell?
===Food===
*[[12th_Century_meals|meal times]]
*common ingredients
*[[12th_Century_poor_food|food for the poor or piosly destitute]]
*for the rich
*recipes
*[[12th_Century_feast food|feast food]]
*[[12th_Century_camp food|camp food]]

===Sanitation===
*[[12th_Century_sewers|sewers]], or lack thereof
*[[12th_Century_garderobes|garderobes]]
*[[12th_Century_bathing|bathing]]
*[[12th_Century_female_hygiene|female hygiene]]
*[[12th_Century_food_hygiene|food hygiene]]

===Clothing===
*fabrics
*clothing styles
*[[12th_Century_fashion|fashion]]
*accessories
*[[12th century underwear]]
*tailors

===Entertainment===
*music
** [[troubadour]]s
*poetry
*theatre
*[[12th_Century_drinking|drinking]] (incorporating drinks,taverns, drinking games)
*[[12th_Century_sex|a friend for the night]]
*[[12th_Century_Games|Games]]
*[[12th_Century_Literature|Literature - books for entertainment]]
*[[12th Century_Fools|Fools]]
*[[12th Century_feast_entertainment|feast entertainment]]

===Education and learning===
*[[12th_Century_early_schooling|early schooling]]
*[[12th_Century_more_schooling|more schooling]]
*[[12th_Century_Universities|universities]]
*[[12th_Century_apprenticeships|apprenticeships]]
*[[12th_Century_literacy|literacy of the populace including women]]
''Religion''
*the church
*[[12th_Century_symbolism|a few examples of the symbolism of objects in the 12th century]]
*[[12th_Century_myth|some 12th Century Myths]]
*[[12th_century-astrology_astronomy|astronomy and astrology]]
*[[12th_century_calendar|the calendar and timekeeping]]

===Travel===
*[[12th_Century_overland_travel|overland (by Road)]]
*[[12th_Century_oversea_travel|oversea (by boat)]]
*crusades
*pilgrimages
*foreign places
*duties and customs
===Achitecture===
*[[Romanesque Architecture]]
*churches
*house exterior
*house interior layout
*[[12th_Century_furniture|furniture]]
*other buildings
*[[12th_century_gardens|gardens]]
*[[Wattle and Dau]]

===History===
*[[12th Century]]
*[[English Monarchs]]
** [[Henry I]] Beauclerc (1100-35)
** [[King Stephen]] (1135-54)
** [[Empress Matilda]] (1141)
** [[Henry II]] (1154-89)
** [[Richard I]] the Lionheart (1189-99)
** [[John Lackland]] (1199-1216)
*[[crusades]]

===Medicine===
*[[12th_Century_medicine|medicine]]
*[[12th_Century_childbirth|childbirth]]
*[[12th_Century_death|death and cemeteries]]
*[[12th_Century_hospitals|hospitals]]

===War===
*[[12th_Century_armour|armour]]
*[[12th century fighting equipment]]

===Noble hierarchy===
*
===Crafts (As in what specialist tradesmen do)===
*[[12th_century_guilds|guilds]]
*[[12th_century_crafts|crafts known in the 12th century]]
*[[12th_century_craftsmen|names for specialist craftsmen]]

==Unsorted==
*[[12th_Century_proverbs|proverbs]]
*[[12th_Century_animals|animals]]
*[[12th_Century_plants|plants]]

==Reading==
*[[12_Century_bibliography|Basic General Books on 12th Century Life (a good place to start)]]
*[[12_Century_References|References cited in above articles]]
*Specialist Books on Aspects of 12th Century Life
*[[12_Century_Links|Links to good web resources]]
*[[12_Century_novels|Novels set in this period]]
*[[12_Century_texts|12th Century texts]]

[[Category:12th century]]

12th Century furniture

2006-11-09T14:14:03Z

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12th Century furniture

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12th Century furniture

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12th Century furniture

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12th Century furniture

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12th Century furniture

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12th Century furniture

2006-11-08T14:56:49Z

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12th Century armour

2006-11-08T14:54:33Z

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Most descriptions of [[armour]] in [[12th century|12th C]] [[literature]] are of the finest fantasy armour, but the [[poetry|Lay]] of [[Graelant]] describes the armour of a [[knight]] who is so badly down on his luck that he has sold his [[horse|charger]] and even his [[saddle]]. Here he is setting out through the [[town]] to go [[hunting]]: (trans. Weingartner)

He had donned an old suit of leather
Which he had worn much too long.
Those who looked at him
Mocked and teased him;

''Unes viez piaus ot afubless,''
''Que trop par ot longes portees;''
''Cil et celes qui l'esgardoient''
''L'escharnissoient et gaboient;''

==Internal Links==
See also:
* [[12th Century fighting equipment]]
[[Category:12th century]]
[[Category:armour]]

12th Century medicine

2006-11-08T14:46:02Z

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===Blood Letting===
'''Blood letting''' was a common practice to let of the energy of young men.
For example, a [[literature|literary]] hero [[Guingamor]] is to go [[hunting]] but:

<table cellpadding="5" align="center">
<tr><td>''Ses nies estoit ce jor seingniez,''</td><td>His nephew [Guingamor] had been bled that day</td></tr>
<tr><td>''Si estoit auques desetiez,''</td><td> And so was feeling rather indisposed.</td></tr>
</table>
<center>- ''[[Guingamor]]'' line 25-26 (trans. Weingartner)</center>

So Guingamor stays at home and plays [[chess]].

[[Category:12th century]]

12th Century furniture

2006-11-08T14:43:34Z

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12th Century medicine

2006-11-03T13:56:21Z

72.10.120.66: /* Blood Letting */

===Blood Letting===
'''Blood letting''' was a common practice to let off the energy of young men.
For example, a [[literature|literary]] hero [[Guingamor]] is to go [[hunting]] but:

<table cellpadding="5" align="center">
<tr><td>''Ses nies estoit ce jor seingniez,''</td><td>His nephew [Guingamor] had been bled that day</td></tr>
<tr><td>''Si estoit auques desetiez,''</td><td> And so was feeling rather indisposed.</td></tr>
</table>
<center>- ''[[Guingamor]]'' line 25-26 (trans. Weingartner)</center>

So Guingamor stays at home and plays [[chess]].

[[Category:12th century]]