Children in the Middle Ages : fifth-fifteenth centuries

Abstract

This vivid picture of how children lived and died portrays childhood at all levels of European mediaeval society - from the peasant girl who longed to read, to the apprentice scribe doodling pictures in the margins of the manuscript he copied, to the future Duke of Berry whose bedroom was redecorated twice a year, changing at Easter from red to green, the colour of Spring. The authors consider children's in the family and in social institutions, their emotional and educational environment, and their symbolism in Christianity. They demonstrate that, despite often difficult living conditions, the great majority of children were surrounded by family affection. They also illustrate the misery of orphaned and abandoned children, the ravages of disease and war, and the exploitation of children as slaves and beggars.

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