King Charlemagne

Some scholars perceive Europe as having been plunged into darkness when the Roman Empire fell in around 500 AD The Middle Ages are often said to be dark because of a supposed lack of scientific and cultural advancement During this time, feudalism was the dominant political system

Did You Know? With its roots medi-, meaning “middle”, and ev-, meaning “age”, medieval literally means “of the Middle Ages” In this case, middle means “between the Roman empire and the Renaissance”—that is, after the fall of the great Roman state and before the “rebirth” of culture that we call the Renaissance

Top 10 Medieval Kings

• 1 – Richard I of England – The Medieval King with a ‘Lions Heart’
• 2 – Alfred the Great – Famous Medieval King Labelled ‘Great’
• 3 – Robert the Bruce – The Aristocratic Medieval King!
• 4 – Charlemagne – The Great Empire Builder of the Medieval Kings!

Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor – The name Charlemagne comes from Karolus Magnus, or Charles the Great He became King of the Franks in 768, and for the next 46 years would build the Carolingian Empire, and become himself the first Emperor in Western Europe in about three centuries

Harold Godwinson, or Harold II, was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England His reign lasted from January 6 to until his death on October 14, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings The son of the powerful Earl Godwin of Wessex, Harold was named Earl of East Anglia in 1044, when he was around twenty years old

Kings collected money in a number of ways One way was to go to war and pillage other lands Other ways included fees charged to their lords and taxes levied on the people Some lords paid the king “shield money” instead of going to war

Much of the income for the royal household would come from taxes on the peasantry, as the noble families, the clergy, and many townsmen (including those in Stockholm) were exempt from paying taxes

Moreover, the king does not have to pay gift or inheritance taxes However, the royal family has been obliged to pay tax on their assets since 1973, although, in return, they get public allowances compensating the paid tax

Since 2012, the queen’s official duties, and the costs involved in maintaining the occupied palaces, have been paid for by a government-administered annual lump sum called the Sovereign Grant

But despite that enormous influence, the Queen holds no real power in British government Instead, as the monarchy evolved over hundreds of years, her role has become largely symbolic

Kings shared their administrative power with samantas, Brahmans, traders, and associations of peasants The reasons of collecting taxes were; to fulfil the finance of the king’s establishments, to build temples and forts, and to fight wars

Most peasants at this time only had an income of about one groat per week As everybody over the age of fifteen had to pay the tax, large families found it especially difficult to raise the money For many, the only way they could pay the tax was by selling their possessions

The serfs also had to pay taxes and fees The Lord decided how much taxes they would pay from how much land the serf had, usually 1/3 of their value They had to pay fees when they got married, had a baby, or there was a war Money was not very common then, so usually they paid by giving food instead of money

Plantagenet England ( During the reign of King Henry III, the king and government sought consent from the nobles of England for taxes the government wished to impose

Towns were dirty places to live in Rats were very common in towns and cities and lead to the Black Death of 1348 to 1349 Towns might use pigs to eat what rubbish there was Water was far from clean as a local river would have been polluted with toilet waste thrown into it from villages both upstream and downstream

Medieval towns were unhealthy places Public health was not high on the agenda of most town councils Towns did not have sewage systems or supplies of fresh water, and probably smelled quite awful as garbage and human waste were thrown into the streets The Shambles in York was once a street of butchers

Public health was therefore generally poor in towns in the Middle Ages: Towns continued to grow and conditions worsened as little money was spent on improving facilities Water quality deteriorated and it was usually contaminated

A combination of both spiritual and natural healing was used to treat the sick Herbal remedies, known as Herbals, along with prayer and other religious rituals were used in treatment by the monks and nuns of the monasteries

The streets of a medieval town were narrow and busy They were noisy, with the town crier, church bells, and traders calling out their wares There were many fast food sellers, selling such things as hot sheep’s feet and beef-ribs Nobody was supposed to carry a weapon or wear a mask

There were several reasons why public health in monasteries was so good Most monasteries had wash houses which were vital for keeping clean and helping to prevent illnesses which were spread by touch or by fleas, like the plague Monasteries also usually had drains and water pipes This in turn helped to stop disease