CONTENTS
WARMING UP
The Letter
To the Guardians of Knowledge and Restorers of the Realm:
To the Guardians of Knowledge and Restorers of the Realm:
May this letter reach your hands before the dust of oblivion completely covers the chronicles of our ancestors.
I am Aelred, Archivist of the Monastery of Saint Justus, last keeper of the Codex of the Realm, a sacred book that held the memory of the centuries: the deeds of kings, the exploits of knights, the journeys of monks, and the strokes of art that united Christendom.
Long ago, when seas and lands burned under the attacks of Vikings, Magyars, and Saracens, the codex was torn into fragments and hidden to protect it from pillage.
Now, the monastery lies in ruins, and the pieces of the codex have been lost within the halls of the ancient Castle of Knowledge, built upon these very lands.
It is said that only those who understand the lessons of the past will be able to rebuild it and return wisdom to the realm.
Your task, young guardians, is to explore the halls of the castle, overcome its riddles, and gather the lost fragments of the codex.
Each hall is guarded by the echoes of an ancient time:
🛡 Hall of Northern Thunder – where the horns of the Vikings resound, the seas roar, and villages tremble before their drakkars.
🏰 Hall of the Castle and the Nobility – where banquets, tournaments, and intrigues fill the days behind stone walls.
✝️ Hall of Silence and Faith – where monks copy manuscripts, bishops rule, and heresies lurk.
🕍 Hall of Romanesque Light – where the walls of churches teach without words and the stone enlightens the soul.
🕊 Hall of the Sacred Paths – where pilgrims and crusaders travel across Europe bearing hope and the symbol of the cross.
Each hall holds a fragment of the Codex of the Realm. Only if you uncover all its secrets can the codex be restored, and the memory of the past be reborn.
I, Aelred, entrust you with this mission. May your mind be as sharp as the sword and your heart as steadfast as the faith of the ancients.
May knowledge guide you, and history reward you.
Given at the Monastery of Saint Justus, in the Year of Our Lord 982.
— Aelred, Archivist of the Codex of the Realm.
A NOT VERY DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM
1. SECOND WAVE OF INVASIONS: VIKINGS, MAGYARS, AND SARACENS.
2. THE WEAKNESS OF MONARCHIES: FEUDALISM
a. A mosaic of kingdoms, a shared culture.
A walk through the Middle Ages
b. The monarch’s power.
c. Dependent relationships
3. FEUDAL MONARCHY. A KING, JUST THE FIRST AMONG EQUALS
THE CURIA REGIS
4. FEUDAL ECONOMY
a. Overview
b. The fief (manor) The center of an agrarian economy.
5. FEUDAL SOCIETY
a. The three states of the realm
Feudal ties in their own words
In the name of the Lord, I, Rogelio of Béziers, grant to you, Arnaldo of Corleano, and to your son-in-law Beltrán of Peirala, to your sons and to their descendants, in fief, my castle called Claramont, which I fortify and command to be fortified in my county of Rouergue, in my domain, together with the fortifications that exist in the castle and those that shall hereafter be built, except for one house which I reserve for myself to do with as I please. I deliver the castle to you to hold as my fief, saving my faith, my seigniorial rights, and my justice... In the year 1138 of the Incarnation of the Lord, on the fifteenth day before the calends of June, under the reign of King Louis.
General History of Languedoc, Privat edition, cited in B. Cuaz: In the Time of Feudal Castles, p. 11.
In the Middle Ages, the nobility were the warrior class. They protected the population and fought to defend their lands and their lord.
En la Edad Media, la nobleza era la clase guerrera. Protegían a la población y luchaban para defender sus tierras y a su señor.
Castles were both residences and fortresses. They were built on high ground to watch over the territory.
Everyday life: The lord administered justice, received visitors, and organized banquets and hunts
In the Middle Ages, most people were peasants. They lived and worked on the lands of a lord or noble. Some were free peasants, but many were serfs — they belonged to the land and needed the lord’s permission to leave or marry.
Peasants lived in small villages close to a castle or monastery. Their houses were built with wood, mud, and straw. Inside, there was usually only one room for all the family and animals.
Peasants had to pay different rents and taxes:
- Rents to the lord (money, crops, or work days).
- Tithes (10% of the harvest) to the Church.
- Extra payments for using the mill, oven, or wine press.
The Power of the Church in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church had enormous power — not only religious but also political and economic. The pope, as the bishop of Rome, was the highest authority of all Christianity.
The Clergy: Two Types
The Church was divided into two groups:
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Regular clergy: monks, nuns, and friars who lived in monasteries or convents, following strict rules and dedicating their lives to prayer, work, and study.
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Secular clergy: cardinals, bishops, and priests who worked in towns and villages, leading religious services and guiding the people.
Influence and Power
The Church owned vast amounts of land, received the tithe (a tenth of peasants’ income), and even influenced kings and wars through mediation and even with armies. The pope could excommunicate rulers, which meant they lost their authority over Christian subjects. The Church (the Pope) even had the power to call for the Truce of God to stop violence when thay deemed it appropriate.
Plus, the Catholic Church made sure that the peasants maintained their role as the base of society, supporting the nobles and the clergy, while also controlling social behavior and moral norms. The Church led festivities, labour hours, resting days etc.
Monasteries: More Than Prayer
Monasteries were centers of work, learning, and culture. Monks grew food, copied books by hand, and preserved ancient Greek and Roman knowledge. Thanks to them, many important texts survived.
Heresies and Reform
Not everyone agreed with the Church. Groups like the Cathars and Waldensians wanted to return to a simpler, poorer way of living, closer to the first Christians. The Church considered these ideas heresies and punished them severely
f. Thinking routine: "STEP INSIDE"
6. ROMANESQUE ART
a. Presentarion 1
7. INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES
First they did their homage thus, the count asked if he was willing to become completely his man, and the other replied, "I am willing"; and with clasped hands, surrounded by the hands of the count, they were bound together by a kiss. Secondly, he who had done homage gave his fealty to the representative of the count in these words, "I promise on my faith that I will in future be faithful to count William, and will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit." Thirdly, he took his oath to this upon the relics of the saints. Afterward, with a little rod which the count held in his hand, he gave investitures to all who by this agreement had given their security and homage and accompanying oath."
March 5, 1177
"I, Ramon de Tous, son of the woman Ermessendis, swear to you Pere, Bishop of Vic, that from this hour in the future I will be faithful to you with regard to your life, and the members of your body, in good faith and without deception. And I will be faithful to you concerning that castle of Tous and the territory that belongs to it within its entire boundaries. And neither that castle nor its territory will I seize from you, not I, nor any man or men, woman or women, acting by my advice or instigation. And I will help you to hold, have and defend against all men and women who might wish to seize or deprive you of all these above mentioned things. And I will give you posession of that castle and that fortress which is or will be inside it as many times as you demand them of me, either you yourself or by your representative or representatives. And all that has been written above I will hold and observe faithfully and without deception, by God and these holy [Gospels or relics].
Done the third nones of March, in the fortieth year of the reign of Louis the Younger. Signed Ramon de Tous, who performs this oath, signs and asks others to sign. Signed Ramon de Timor. Signed Guerau de Jorba. I, Bernat, Bishop of Barcelona, sign. Thomas confirms this who wrote this on the day and in the year as above."
12th century Spain: 1177 Fealty from Ramon de Tous to Pere, Bishop of Vic, from the Arxiu Capitular of Vic, calaix 6, no. 1757
"I, Thiebault, count palatine of Troyes, make known to those present and to come that I have given in fee to Jocelyn d'Avalon and his heirs the manor which is called Gillencourt, which is of the castellanerie of La Ferte sur Aube; and whatever the same Jocelyn shall be able to acquire in the same manor I have granted to him and his heirs in augmentation of that fief I have granted, moreover, to him that in no free manor of mine will I retain men who are of this gift. The same Jocelyn, moreover, on account of this has become my liege man, saving however, his allegiance to Gerard d'Arcy, and to the lord duke of Burgundy, and to Peter, count of Auxerre. Done at Chouaude, by my own witness, in the year of the Incarnation of our Lord 1200 in the month of January. Given by the hand of Walter, my chancellor; note of Milo."
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