Do you know about the Middle Ages?

This era covering 500 to around 1500 C.E. is well known for being the time of knights, kingdoms, and chivalry.

Where rulers controlled much of their country and fought or worked alongside other kingdoms.

Well, get ready, because you've just been given the chance to explore that time.

Turn the page, and let your medieval journey begin!

    Ye Olden Times

The Middle Ages focuses solely on Europe between 476 C.E. and the Renaissance in the 14th Century.

Despite only including Europe, there were many kingdoms during this time such as the Byzantine Empire, United Kingdom, and the French Empire among others.

Let's move onto the individuals known as monarchs, the ones who were considered the leaders during this era.

Kingdoms were ruled by kings or queens who had supreme authority and had much protection to keep them safe.

They had a lot of responsibility running a kingdom, from making laws, forging alliances with others, and provide protection to their subjects.

This meant it was really important that they did their best for everyone.

You may have heard of some, like King Charlemagne, King Henry VIII, and King Richard I.                                                                                                                                           These were all real monarchs who ruled over during the Middle Ages, and they ruled kingdoms such as the United Kingdom and Byzantine Empire                                                                                                                            Nowadays, there are very few kingdoms in the world, with only forty three monarchies still existing.

      Henry VIII              Richard I           Charlemagne

To protect the monarch, and the people who were their subjects, knights were an ever present force in the Middle Ages.

Knights wore heavy armor, carried all manner of weapons like swords and lances, and often rode of horseback as this was the time before automobiles.

Knights famously followed an informal social code often referred to as codes of chivalry which varied, but often included rules such as to protect those who could not protect themselves such as children and live to defend their kingdom among other things.

Despite the fact that monarchs were considered leaders, the real rulers was the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church is led by a figure known as the pope, and due to the power religion had over the people the pope effectively had more control over kingdoms then even the monarchs.

People were expected to follow the word of the Church as it was believed that it was necessary to reach salvation. In fact, this control was such that the church could even make laws that kingdoms had to follow.