Grade by Grade
A. Heritage and Identity · Early Societies to 1500 CE

Ancient Greece and Medieval Europe: Citizens, Kings and Knights

A3.7 A3.8 A3.10 A1.1 A1.2 A1.3 A3.6About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can describe how democracy worked in ancient Athens and who could take part.
  • I can describe the feudal system in medieval Europe and the roles of different groups.
  • I can explain how the Magna Carta and guilds helped limit power and settle problems.
  • I can compare the lives of children from different groups in these societies with my life today.

Words to know

democracy
Government by the people. The word comes from Greek words meaning "people" and "power".
citizen
A member of a society with rights, such as voting.
medieval
From the Middle Ages, in Europe about 500 CE to 1500 CE.
feudal system
A way of organizing society in medieval Europe: the king gave land to nobles in return for loyalty and soldiers, and peasants worked the land.
serf
A peasant who had to stay and work on a lord's land and could not leave without permission.
knight
A soldier on horseback who served a lord.
guild
A group of skilled workers in the same craft, such as bakers or weavers, who made rules for their trade.
Magna Carta
A document from 1215 in England that said even the king had to follow the law.

Ancient Greece: an early democracy

Ancient Greece was not one country. It was many city-states, each with its own government. Two famous ones were Athens and Sparta.

About 2500 years ago, Athens began a new kind of government: democracy, which means "rule by the people".

  • Citizens met in a big assembly on a hillside. Anyone there could speak.
  • They voted on laws, on going to war, and more, often by raising their hands.
  • Many officials were chosen by lottery (drawing names), so ordinary citizens took turns serving.

But not everyone was a citizen! Only free men with Athenian parents could vote. Women, enslaved people and people born elsewhere could not vote. So most people in Athens had no say.

Sparta was different: it had two kings and a council of older men, and boys trained to be soldiers from about age 7.

Greece also gave us the Olympic Games, theatre, and many ideas in math, science and medicine.

Medieval Europe: the feudal system

The Middle Ages (medieval times) in Europe lasted from about 500 CE to 1500 CE. Many places, like England and France, were ruled by kings, and society was organized in the feudal system:

A grey stone castle with round towers and thick walls on a green hill above a village of stone cottages and farm fields.
In the Middle Ages, lords and kings lived in strong stone castles like this one. Peasants lived in the village and farmed the fields below. AI-generated image
kingnobles (lords)knightspeasants and serfs
The feudal system. The king was at the top; peasants and serfs, the largest group, were at the bottom.
GroupWhat they didWhat they got
KingRuled the kingdom; gave land to nobles.Loyalty, taxes and soldiers.
Nobles (lords and ladies)Ran large estates; sent knights to fight for the king.Land, castles and power.
KnightsFought on horseback for their lord; protected the land.Land or payment; honour.
Peasants and serfsFarmed the land; gave part of the harvest to the lord. Serfs could not leave.A small plot to grow their own food, and protection.
Everyone owed something to the group above them.

Other important groups

  • The Church: very powerful. Priests, monks and nuns led religious life. Monasteries ran schools and hospitals and copied books by hand.
  • Townspeople: merchants and craftspeople lived in growing towns. Craftspeople joined guilds: groups of bakers, weavers, blacksmiths and others. Guilds set rules about quality and prices, trained young apprentices, and helped members who were sick. This helped prevent unfair competition and arguments.

Women in the Middle Ages

Most women worked very hard: peasant women farmed, cooked, made cloth and raised children. Noble women ran large households. Some women ran businesses or became nuns. But women could not usually be knights or hold most government jobs, and property usually passed through fathers and sons. Compare that with the matrilineal Haudenosaunee, where clan mothers chose leaders!

The Magna Carta

In 1215, English barons (nobles) were angry with King John for unfair taxes and punishments. They made him agree to the Magna Carta ("Great Charter"). It said that even the king had to follow the law, and that free people could not be put in prison without a fair trial. These ideas are still part of laws in Canada today.

A new technology

Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg in Germany built a printing press with movable metal letters. Books could be made much faster and cheaper, so more people could learn to read.

500 BCEyear 1500 CE1000 CE1500 CEthe Middle Ages (about 500 to 1500 CE)Athens: democracyabout 500 BCEMagna Carta1215printing pressabout 1450
This lesson on one timeline. Athens tried democracy about 2500 years ago. Much later came the Middle Ages, the Magna Carta (1215) and Gutenberg's printing press (about 1450).
Worked example

Let's compare two children in medieval England

Compare the life of a noble boy with the life of a peasant girl.

  1. Noble boy: at about 7 might become a page in a lord's castle, learning manners, riding and music. At about 14 a squire, helping a knight. Later he might become a knight.
  2. Peasant girl: no school. From a young age she helps with farm work, looks after younger children, spins wool and cooks. She will likely marry a peasant and keep farming.
  3. Why different? Their family's social class and whether they were a boy or a girl decided most of their life.
  4. Compare with today: in Canada, all children have the right to go to school, girls and boys, rich or poor.

The noble boy trained to become a knight; the peasant girl worked at home and on the farm. Class and gender shaped their lives. Today all Canadian children go to school.

Just for fun

Before printing presses, monks copied whole books by hand. One big blot of ink and the page might need to be done again. Aren't you glad you have an eraser (and a delete key)?

Worked example

Let's compare democracy then and now

Compare who could vote in ancient Athens with who can vote in Canada today.

  1. Athens: only free men born to Athenian parents. No women, no enslaved people, no people from elsewhere.
  2. Canada today: all citizens 18 and older, women and men, can vote.
  3. Same idea: citizens choose laws or leaders by voting.
  4. Different: Canada includes far more people. (Even in Canada, the right to vote was won over time: many women first voted in federal elections about 100 years ago, and First Nations people living on reserves gained the federal vote in 1960.)

Both use voting, but Athens let only free men vote, while in Canada all adult citizens can vote.

Hands-on activity

Feudal system role-play

You need: 10 small snacks (like crackers or grapes) or 10 counters, and 3 or more people.

  1. One person is the king, one is a noble, and everyone else is a peasant.
  2. Give the peasants all 10 snacks (the "harvest").
  3. Peasants must give half to the noble. The noble must give half of those to the king (round down).
  4. Count: how many does each person have now? Who did the most work? Who got the most?
  5. Talk about it: was it fair? Why might peasants be unhappy? How is this different from how taxes work in Canada today, where taxes pay for schools, hospitals and roads for everyone?

Check for food allergies before using snacks.

Your turn

1

What does democracy mean?

2

Who could vote in ancient Athens?

3

Name two groups who could not vote in Athens.

4

About when were the Middle Ages in Europe?

5

In the feudal system, what did the king give nobles?

6

What was a serf?

7

What was a guild?

8

What did the Magna Carta say about the king?

More practice: warm-up

1

Name two city-states of ancient Greece.

2

How did Athenian citizens often vote?

3

Which was the largest group in the feudal system?

4

Who invented a printing press with movable metal letters around 1450?

5

In what year did King John agree to the Magna Carta?

More practice: on your own

1

Why do we say Athens was a democracy but not a democracy for everyone?

2

How did the feudal system connect each group to the others?

3

How did guilds help prevent conflict?

4

Why was the printing press important?

5

Compare a Spartan boy's education with yours.

Challenge

1

Compare how leaders were chosen in Athens, in medieval England and in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

2

The barons made King John agree to the Magna Carta. Was this a way to deal with conflict? Explain.

3

Women's roles: compare medieval Europe with the Haudenosaunee.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Who could vote in ancient Athens?

2.

In the feudal system, who was at the top?

3.

A serf was...

4.

The Magna Carta said that...

5.

A guild was a group of...

6.

Democracy means...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Ancient Greece and medieval Europe let students compare very different forms of governance (early democracy vs. inherited kingship; A3.7) and social organization, including feudal and slave-owning societies (A3.8, A1.1). Comparing children's lives across classes and with today covers A1.2 and A1.3. The Magna Carta and guilds are curriculum examples of dealing with conflict (A3.10).

How to help at home:

  • Hold a family "assembly" to vote on a small decision, then talk about who got to vote and who didn't.
  • Connect the Magna Carta to the idea that in Canada everyone, including leaders, must follow the law.
  • Compare: who could vote in Athens, in medieval England (almost no one) and in Canada today.

Common difficulties:

  • "Athens was a democracy like ours": stress how many people were excluded.
  • Fairy-tale knights: real medieval life was hard for most people, who were peasants.
  • Voting history in Canada: the right to vote was gained over time. The voting-history note in the lesson (women voting about 100 years ago, First Nations people on reserves gaining the federal vote in 1960) is a good discussion point.

Check for food allergies before the snack role-play.