How were towns protected in the Middle Ages?

Deep ditches and strong walls were built around the towns to protect the towns people from attack and as a sign of wealth. Strong gatehouses were constructed at intervals around the walls with drawbridges for extra protection.

Did medieval villages have guards?

Guards in the middle ages were largely unpaid volunteers working for the local militia. In the Elder Scrolls series (Skyrim, for example), you either pay the fine, go to jail or die. You can also run away or bribe them.

Who controlled medieval towns?

lord
The village was usually part of a manor run by a lord or someone of noble birth or a church or an abbey. Most peasants never ventured out of the village during their lifetime. Most peasants worked their land with either horses, oxen, or a combination of the two.

How was life like in and around towns in the Middle Ages?

Towns were not healthy places to live. Although housing did improve during the period, there was no sewage system. So people discarded their waste in the streets or local rivers. People often shared their homes with their livestock, but none of these animals were house-trained.

Are towns and villages?

Town Definition and Example Town comes from an Old English word that referred to a walled or fenced place, such as a farm, village, or courtyard. Our modern word refers to populated areas with fixed boundaries and a local government. Towns are usually bigger than villages, but smaller than cities.

What are the differences between medieval towns and villages?

A medieval town was generally found where major roads met, or near a bridge (somewhere people came to buy and sell goods). Towns were known for trading goods. A medieval village consisted of villeins who worked on the land owned by the Lord.

What does a city guard do?

A city guard, city watch, town guard, town watch, or watchman was a law enforcement and security formation found in many countries and historical periods, usually subordinate to the local municipal government.

How many guards did a medieval city have?

They would have as much as 500–1000 professional troops with the ability to call up an additional 2,000 men at arms.

How were towns different to villages in medieval times?

What were villages like in the Middle Ages?

Most medieval villages would have a village green, a well for the drinking water, stables for horses, a stream in which to fish, a blacksmith, carpenters house, beehives and the all-important medieval inn were a medieval people could drink away all their problems with a jug of ale.