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Middle Ages
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The Middle Ages is the term applied by Renaissance writers to the time between the glorious ancient world and their own brilliance. Dates vary simply because the Middle Ages happened at different times in different parts of Europe. The term medieval may apply to anything from the Fall of Rome, which itself is a messy date, to the start of the Renaissance. Italy is a good place to mark as the centre of Europe during this time, because Europe became medieval as the Roman Empire fell back to Rome, and the Renaissance began in the city states of northern Italy and spread outwards. Thus England, being far from Italy, was medieval for much longer than Florence or Venice.
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In the Middle Ages roads were no more than dirt tracks that turned to mud in winter. Men travelled on horseback (if they could afford a horse!). Ladies travelled in wagons covered in painted cloth. They looked pretty but they must have been very uncomfortable on bumpy roads as they had no springs. Worse, travel in the Middle Ages was very slow. A horseman could only travel 50 or 60 kilometres a day.
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In the Middle Ages, symbols evolved to represent each of the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Matthew's symbol was an angel, or winged man, because his Gospel begins with the human genealogy of Jesus. Mark's symbol is a lion because his Gospel begins with John the Baptist, whose preaching is described as a voice crying in the wilderness like the roar of a lion. Luke's Gospel begins with the story of Zacharias making sacrifices in the temple, and since oxen and calves were often used for sacrifices, Luke's symbol is an ox or a calf. And John's symbol is an eagle because his Gospel begins with Jesus existing in heaven as "the Word of God" before he came to earth.
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In the Middle Ages most people lived in the countryside and made a living from farming. However at the time of the Domesday Book (1086) about 10% of the population of England lived in town. Moreover trade boomed in the following two centuries and many new towns were founded. Examples of towns founded in the 12th and 13th centuries include Portsmouth, Plymouth, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Doncaster and Preston.
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The life during the Middle Ages were not secured and safe. People clustered near the protection of powerful people who had well defended castles or monasteries. So with little thought for dressing, medieval clothing was not sophisticated. Mostly the fabrics were handspun and people wore homemade dresses, which were rough and shapeless. Trousers, tunics and shawls made of wool and fur were worn to fight cold. Shoes were made of leather.
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In terms of disease, the Middle Ages can be regarded as beginning with the plague of 542 and ending with the Black Death (bubonic plague) of 1348. Diseases in epidemic proportions included leprosy, bubonic plague, smallpox, tuberculosis, scabies, erysipelas, anthrax, trachoma, sweating sickness, and dancing mania (see infection).
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Middle Ages