Question

1. what access did average people have to reading and writing?
2. of these three groups - wealthy men, women, and the poor - who was most literate? who was least literate? why?
3. if you were alive in the middle ages, would you be literate? what impact might this have on you as a person and your life overall?

the middle ages -- medieval society and literary influence
a rose by any other name -
\middle ages,\ \medieval period\ or \dark ages\?
the period between 500 - 1500 a.d. in europe is called the middle ages; another name for this era is the medieval period. this period bridges the classical period of the roman empire and the later period of the renaissance. the period before 1000 a.d. is sometimes also called the dark ages. it is most likely called this because there were no great cities, most people lived in extreme poverty and there was little development in science and medicine. some later western scholars might also have believed it was a \dark\ age because christianity had not yet been fully accepted in europe.
why wont you leave? wait...where are you going?!?
the medieval period began when the powerful roman empire stretched itself too thin to defend its frontiers and maintain contact with isolated outposts in europe. consequently, it broke into two large pieces, the byzantine (eastern) empire and the western empire. the romans could only maintain control in the byzantine empire, leading to a power vacuum in western europe. subsequent invasions by vikings, goths, and moors, as well as infighting between neighboring kingdoms, began to change the nature of european life. the only safety from marauding invaders was provided by small kingdoms, rather than a functional central government. at first, people responded by grouping together in great halls for protection: in this one large room they would eat, sleep and find entertainment. as the waves of invaders continued, the seats of these kingdoms changed into castles with defendable walls. the feudal system, in which people gave food, loyalty or money to a leader in exchange for safety within his castle walls, developed. eventually, this led to monarchy (one king).
illiteracy and its consequences
the vast majority of people in the middle ages couldnt read or write, so most medieval literature was oral (spoken). even very wealthy people were often illiterate, or unable to read or write. the production of art and literature declined sharply as a result. literacy was so widely unaccepted that it was not uncommon for a wealthy person to hire a religious scholar to read important documents for him, rather than learn to read himself.
as bad as education was for wealthy men, it was even worse for women. medieval education was directly connected with the catholic church, which devalued the importance of womens literacy. st. thomas of aquinas, one of the most famous men of this period, declared what was a common idea regarding women: \woman is subject to man on account of the weakness of her nature... man is the beginning of woman and her end, just as god is the beginning and end of every creature. children ought to love their father more than they love their mother.\ medieval society, and particularly the powerful domains of church and state, clearly had no place for well - educated women.
while a few wealthy women did attain some education, the same could not be said for poor people, for whom an education was not within reach. unlike in modern society, there was no access to free education or public libraries and educating a woman or poor person was seen as excessively wasteful. the general lack of education for most people meant that the middle ages was a time ruled more by superstition than logic. it also meant that some learned people gained a tremendous amount of power. these people were to be found in the catholic church.
the church: knowledge is power
as the middle ages progressed, the catholic church was very much in control of medieval europe. unlike today, there was only one official church in europe, and this meant it was very powerful. what would normally be considered \progress\ was often frowned upon: art, literature and science were viewed with distrust unless they served to glorify the churchs teachings. in addition, communication and shared knowledge were limited during the medieval period, especially because travel was hard and dangerous. many people tended to stay local for safety reasons, and therefore, knew little about the outside world. books themselves were a rarity and the ability to read them was nearly as uncommon. in this time before printing presses and mass production, books were very expensive and time - consuming to make. since they were produced by hand, a single book could sometimes take months or even years to complete. those who were literate had the power to make decisions

Explanation:

1. In the Middle - Ages, education was not widespread. Most people, including many wealthy ones, could not read or write due to lack of access to education, absence of free education and public libraries, and high cost of books.
2. Among wealthy men, women, and the poor, wealthy men were most likely to be literate as they had more resources and some access to education related to the Catholic Church. Women, especially poor women, had limited educational opportunities due to Church - influenced views on women. The poor had no means to afford education.
3. If one were alive in the Middle Ages, being illiterate would limit access to knowledge, make it hard to participate in decision - making, and restrict one's social and economic mobility. One would likely rely on oral traditions and the literate minority for information.

Answer:

1. The average people had very limited access to reading and writing. There was no free education or public libraries, and books were expensive and time - consuming to produce.
2. Wealthy men were most literate as they had more resources and some educational opportunities related to the Church. The poor were least literate due to lack of means to afford education. Women, especially poor women, also had limited literacy due to gender - based restrictions in education.
3. If alive in the Middle Ages, one would likely be illiterate. This would limit access to knowledge, hinder participation in decision - making, and restrict social and economic opportunities.