2004

S1.E1 ∙ Knights and Tournaments

Fri, Apr 02, 2004

Picturesque castles, noble knights, minnesingers and troubadours - these romantic images fire our imagination in the generally accepted conception of the Middle Ages. On the darker side of this world, there are gloomy castle dungeons, torture chambers and bloody raids and power struggles.

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S1.E2 ∙ Monks and Heretics

Fri, Apr 09, 2004

As centres of missionary activity and science, monasteries made an important contribution to progress. Here, not only theology was taught and studied, but medicine, mathematics, astronomy, law and philosophy as well. With the translation of the ancient scripts into Latin, this knowledge was introduced to the western world.

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S1.E3 ∙ Peasants and Nobles

Fri, Apr 16, 2004

Most of the population in the Middle Ages lived on the land - a silent, suffering majority, who as serfs had to do soccage service and pay taxes to the ruling noblemen and were repeatedly exposed to famine and violent conflicts. Fear of bears, wolves and demons or roaming bands of robbers were widespread and today, folktales and legends still give us an insight into the former peasant culture.

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S1.E4 ∙ Cities and Cathedrale

Fri, Apr 23, 2004

Historians for a long time considered the picturesque maze of alleyways in mediaeval towns to be construction planning gone haywire. New research reveals the surprising fact that many mediaeval towns were conceived on the drawing board by urban planners who were well versed in geometry, for the towns grew and offered a home to many people.

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