People's Status In Society During The Late Middle Ages

Members of the nobility lived in castles that defended them against attacks specifically the keep and had servants who obeyed their commands. Clothes represented people’s status in society and laws were created to control who wore what. More expensive materials, bright colors and longer jackets were signs of wealth and high status. Lords and ladies wore jewelry, fabrics such as fur, silk and velvet and versatile clothing. In addition, fashion often changed, for example, pointed shoes were in fashion for awhile. Their diet consisted of meat, bread and vegetables. Food was seasoned with spices imported from the East and mashed together to conceal the bad taste of the food. Many lords had a chef to cook the food and hosted great feasts which included entertainment with
Parents arranged the marriage or at least had to approve the marriage. Girls were very young when they got married and a couple would be betrothed which is equivalent to a engagement. Husbands viewed their wives as property and they could beat their wives. It was only until the late Middle Ages when wives were allowed to divorce their husbands for some reasons such as conviction of a crime. Although, when the husband went away, the wives enjoyed some freedom and became the head of the household. In the late Middle Ages, the Catholic Church got involved and there would be a Christian ceremony. Some people in arranged marriages grew to have mutual respect for each other and even love each other. Since infants died at an early age or during childbirth, life expectancy was low. In addition, many women died during childbirth due to the lack of medical knowledge and Cesarean sections were unknown. Families hoped for a son so the family name can be passed down and dodged dowries which were payments for a marriage of a daughter. If there was a low chance that an infant will survive, the infant would be immediately