Running Head: MEDIEVAL AGES AND ME

The Medieval Ages and Me

Sam Wernert

MEDIEVAL AGES AND ME

2

South Newton High SchoolMedieval Ages and Me

When some people look out into the world, they see death, destruction, greed, and all that is
bad. They look onto history either in that same light, or through the Hollywood version. When I
look out into the world, I see history at work, and how the past has greatly contributed to the
present. Namely, I marvel how the medieval ages has helped shape our present lives, and the
similarities between our society today and our society then. Even though the medieval ages are
widely thought of as a crude, violent, and dirty time, I have learned some of lifes most valuable
lessons from that time period. This particular era has taught me to win with grace, to see the
power of faith, and to hold great respect towards power.
The medieval era has taught me to win with grace by providing role models such as King
Arthur, King Richard the Lionheart, and King William I, the conqueror. King Arthur, though
commonly recognized as a myth, was and is the ideal king, someone that a king would want to
model himself after. I try to implement his actions into my everyday life as best I can; namely
chivalry, patience, and kindness to anyone. King Richard the Lionheart, however, was a ruthless
and uncaring king who was concerned only for his throne and his wars. Paul M. Remfy, a man
who compiled a list of medieval kings and their characteristics, supports that statement, saying
Richard only returned to his kingdom once in 1194 to put down the rebellion of his brother
Prince John and to be crowned a second time. The rest of his reign was spent in incessant wars in
France (Medieval Kings of England, 2012). King Richard only came back to his people to
preserve his throne and to reaffirm his rule. He represents everything I hope to never become;
power driven and uncaring person who fought for his own selfish reasons. The next king, despite
his war like reign, was praised as a judicious king, unbiased, stern, and benevolent. The article
titled Medieval Kings of England helps to give us a better idea of what kind of king he was by

MEDIEVAL AGES AND ME

3

arguing When William died the chronicles generally agreed that he was a good, but stern king.
It had been possible during his reign for a man to walk with his pockets full of gold from one end
of Williams to the other with no-one touching him through their fear of the king (2012). This is
the kind of person that I hope to grow up to be like; a man that is respected as a good person, but
also as a fair disciplinarian. King William I was a lot like a combination of King Arthur and King
Richard, a combination of both myth and man to create someone I try to emulate myself after as
well. These three kings taught me, through both good and bad example, how and why to win
with grace, but King Richard the Lionheart allowed me to see the power of faith.
The power of faith was a very real and large power in the medieval ages, easily divided into
three categories: the power of faith, the power of the Church, and the power of belief. The power
of faith was a huge force in medieval life, affecting absolutely everyone in the medieval society
by promising deliverance from the dismal life on Earth. An article by the title of Life During the
Medieval Ages gives us a useful insight as to what the average life of a peasant was like
Most of the time was spent working the land, and trying to grow enough food to survive another
year (2012). Obviously, life was less than ideal then. Today, faith is a source of comfort and
hope for many, and was for me as well. The Church promised this deliverance from the drudgery
and misery of everyday life, so it came to wield some serious clout, even going so far as to
collecting taxes for itself. In this day and age, I see churches everywhere, all proclaiming their
own unique messages of hope and peace much like the ones so many years ago. The power of the
Church was huge, as this quote from World History: Human Legacy shows Pope Gregorys
response was to excommunicate Henry IV. This response frightened Henry. Fearing that he
would lose his throne, he traveled to Canossa, Italy, where Gregory was staying to beg
forgiveness (Ramirez, Stearns, and Windenburg, 2008, page 394). Its hard to picture a man in

MEDIEVAL AGES AND ME

4

regal robes with a gold crown on his head begging with an old leader of the church, but its true.
In order to emphasize the power the pope was able to wield, the author of the article titled The
Middle Ages Popes vs. Kings tells us about the importance of excommunication This
punishment was greatly feared because Christians believed that people who died while
excommunicated would not go to heaven (2012). The Churchs whole message revolved around
eventually going to heaven, so it was a pretty big deal if you went from the miserable life on
Earth to an eternity of suffering in Hell. The power of belief, or rather a sense of nationalism,
was a huge thing for every nation, mostly because a nations power in that day and age was
directly correlated with the loyalty the people felt towards their respective nation. Even today, I
have noticed that when nationalism is lost, the nation as a whole begins to decline. These three
different powers are all closely related, but they are even more so closely related by the respect
they demand.
One of the bigger lessons that the medieval ages teaches is to hold great respect towards
power, specifically the authority and influence wielded by the government, the Church, and the
people. The government obviously wielded power in the day-to-day life of the common people,
and still does today. It is and was the ubiquitous influence among the masses, setting the laws
and maintaining the peace for that nation. The governments power was only ever superseded by
the Church, which wielded great power in that day and age. A good example of that taking place
was when Henry IV went to Pope Gregory to beg for forgiveness. World History: Human Legacy
gives us a shortened version of the story Late in January 1077, Henry IV, the Holy Roman
emperor, left Germany. Once he arrived at Canossa, Henry stripped off all his royal finery and
donned a simple shirt woven from rough cotton. For three days he stood there, shivering and
eating nothing, before the castles huge gates were finally opened to him. He was there to see

MEDIEVAL AGES AND ME

5

the only man powerful enough to make the mighty Holy Roman emperor wait the pope,
Gregory VII (Ramirez et al, 2008, page 392).The Church today has a great deal less power than
is used to, but it still has enough influence to convert millions of followers; even me for a time.
These millions of followers never cease to remind me of the power that the people hold. An
excellent example of the power of the people would be the Magna Carta, where the people of
England rose up in defiance to their king and forever changed their country by writing a
constitution, one that became the role model for the American Constitution itself. The Magna
Carta and other such events have taught me to truly understand the nature of power, and to
behold the respect it demands.
The castle gleamed white under the noon day sun, a masterpiece of soaring towers and
elegant design. It shone bright as a beacon, literally the symbol of liberty and justice among the
land. The castle was called Camelot, home of King Arthur and the Round Table. Legends grew
from those walls, legends of the king who lived inside. His wise and benevolent rule is
something that I greatly admire, even if it is just a myth. I hope to never stoop so low as King
Richards level, crude and uncaring. One particularly horrifying battle during the Crusades (a
war instigated by the popes) will forever remind me of sore-losing. H.W. Koch took me back to
the battle, quoting The Crusaders ran about the city, seizing gold, silver, horses, mules, and
pillaging the houses filled with riches. Then, happy and weeping with joy, our men went to adore
the sepulcher of Our Lord, and rendered up the offering they owed (1978, page 95). Koch
continues with The chronicler who has left us this account indicates the priorities existing
among the knights quite clearly: first to render unto themselves the plunder they believed to be
theirs and then after that accomplishment to perform their act of worship (1978, page 95). With
all this in mind, I hope I never forget the lessons the three kings and their era has taught me.