DK - WOW! The Visual Encyclopedia of Everything

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HUNTINGThe Duke of Berry was a very powerful man and had many castles and lands. This painting shows his castle at Etampes, where a group of richly dressed nobles take birds of prey to hunt partridges, swans, ducks, pigeons, and other birds. Throughout the Middle Ages, hunting was the favourite sport of the rich.

Women covered their hair with a linen headdress called a wimpleThe falconer was a well-paid professional huntsman

Castles were the stately homes of France’s richest noblesWheat was cut

using a curved blade called a sickle

The castle was a fortress and a garrison for soldiers

Peasants had few rights – they could not marry or leave the village without the

lord’s permission

A peasant sows seeds – like most farm work this had to be done by hand

FEUDAL SOCIETYMedieval society was organized into a “feudal system”, based on giving land in exchange for service. At the top was the king who granted land to his nobles. In return, the nobles supplied the king with soldiers. At the bottom were the peasants who worked the

land in exchange for a piece of land to farm for themselves.

Vineyards surrounded by walls

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