The Early Middle Ages saw a significant shift in furniture design, with the most important pieces being beds, tables, and chairs. These pieces were often seen as ordinary frames with legs, providing rest for sleepy dwellers. The collapse of the Roman Empire during the 4th-5th centuries led to a period of limited furniture use, except for basic items like chairs, stools, and benches.
The most important pieces of furniture in the Middle Ages were beds, tables, and chairs, which were typically made of local timber and were used for personal possessions storage. Other useful furnishings included barrel chairs, hand grills, shears, bellows, and storage cabinets. The walls were stone-coated with plaster, and the ceiling was supported by wooden planks.
Memories were mostly created using hardwoods such as oak, ash, elm, and beech, with other materials like iron, bronze, and leather occasionally used for decoration. Medieval furniture has its roots in Europe, spanning from the 5th to the 15th centuries. Chairs required specialized carpentry, making them more expensive and rarer than benches. Chairs, tables, and various types of cupboards were frequently draped with bright fabrics, while chairs, settles, and other seat furniture were provided with cushions.
The chest was the basic type of medieval furniture, serving as a cupboard, trunk, seat, and, if necessary, as a simple form of table and desk. Most people had very little furniture during this period, with only a few basic items like beds, tables, and chairs. Medieval furniture was primarily made of oak due to its ease of acquisition, strength, and durability.
There are many kinds of medieval furnishing, including historical oak furniture, historical alder furniture, and historical pine furniture. These pieces were designed as functional and portable rather than beautiful, mainly related to the bedroom and kitchen.
📹 All Medieval Chest Types, How They Were Made & Used (Medieval Professions: Arkwright)
00:00 Introduction 00:17 Arkwright 00:36 The Importance of Chests in the Middle Ages 02:10 Difference Between Static and …
What fabric was used in the Middle Ages?
During the Viking and early Middle Ages in Northern Europe, the most common fabric materials were wool and linen, with hemp, nettle, and silk also being used. Cotton began to move from India to Europe in the late Middle Ages. Wool was the most common fabric for all types of garments, available in various qualities from hard-picked to fine, imported varieties. The fabric trade was widespread, with domestic and local production of wool making simpler fabrics affordable and accessible to the public.
What was a sofa called in the Middle Ages?
A settee, originating in the Middle Ages, is a type of sofa made from wood with an elegant, intricately carved back. It is often used as a cross between an armchair and a sofa, accommodating two people at a stretch or one person with plenty of room. The term loveseat, originally designed for ladies to sit comfortably while wearing wide dresses, is now used to describe a seat that comfortably accommodates two people.
In the UK, the term Chesterfield is mainly used to describe a large, overstuffed, button-tufted sofa, often upholstered in leather, resembling the sofas found in gentleman’s clubs in Victorian London. The Chester sofa is a refined version of the classic Chesterfield sofa, featuring a deep button-tufted back and comfortable seat cushions.
What was medieval furniture like?
The 15th century saw significant constructional improvements, including the introduction of drawers into cupboards and storage furniture, neater joints like the mitre and mortise and tenon, and panelling often decorated with linenfold or parchment. Linenfold was widely used in France, Flanders, Low Germany, Baltic, Scandinavia, and England, and was carved with a sharper definition and greater delicacy than in England and elsewhere. Other forms of carved decoration on furniture became more common during the 15th century, when surfaces were carved with tracery and other Gothic motifs.
During the Middle Ages, many pieces of furniture, including those with carved decoration, were painted and sometimes gilded, a practice that continued well into the Renaissance. Chairs, tables, and various types of cupboards were frequently draped with bright fabrics, while chairs, settles, and other seat furniture were provided with cushions.
The chest was the basic type of medieval furniture, serving as a cupboard, trunk, seat, and, if necessary, as a simple form of table and desk. It was from this versatile piece that several other types, such as the cupboard and the box chair, were evolved. Chairs remained scarce throughout the Middle Ages, and occupation of a chair long symbolized authority or a mark of honor. Early chairs constructed of turned spindles, seen in Romanesque sculpture, have already been mentioned.
Later, there were two main types: one was a variety of folding chair with an X-shaped frame made of both wood and metal, and another was a heavier type of chair. Panelling, often carved with linenfold and other Gothic motifs, was used on the back, arms, and base.
Tables were mainly of trestle construction with long rectangular tops that could be dismantled. In the 15th century, smaller tables were made for convenience and, especially, drawn up to the fire. Various forms of cupboards, ambries, and dressoirs were developed, panelled and decorated with linenfold or Gothic carved ornament. Cupboards, dressoirs, and credence tables were used for storing plate and serving at banquets, with top shelves sometimes cantilevered or projected on brackets to free the front corners for use.
What was the interior design in the Middle Ages?
From the fall of Rome in 476 to the 15th century, Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, was a hub for East and West. It was influenced by Persian art and transmitted it to early medieval European Christian styles. Most surviving Byzantine interiors are ecclesiastical, but secular wall paintings and mosaics were popular. The Iconoclasts of the 8th century prohibited the making of images and destroyed most existing ones. Ivory carving was highly developed, and furniture was inlaid with ivory plaques and decorated with carvings.
Goldsmith’s work was equally popular in Constantinople, with decoration usually of the repoussé type, with subjects from classical mythology. However, very few gold objects have survived, and most bronze work has also been lost. Decorative textiles of fine quality were common, and a few fragments have survived. Persian influence is most often found in rare fragments of patterned silks of the 7th or 8th century. Constantinople tended to become an Oriental city as Greek influence waned in the Near and Middle East and the new civilization of Islām was established.
How did medieval people decorate?
Castles in the 15th century were minimally furnished, with white walls covered with paints made from powdered and boiled minerals mixed with egg white, resin, or oil. Oriental motifs, plant motifs, and floral decoration elements were popular. The chest was the most used furniture, replacing wardrobes and sometimes as chairs. Wardrobes were not widely spread until the end of the Middle Ages, but their use increased as clothes became too small in chests.
In winter, rooms were insulated with wild-boar skin and wooden panels. Tapestry also appeared, introducing instructive stories. Inhabitants slept in baldachin beds, climbing four large steps to go to bed. Each floor had at least one toilet, a stone tablet with a large hole in the middle, located in a closet built on the outer walls.
What were the types of medieval decor?
Medieval decor furniture was typically made of metal or wood, with tables made of precious metals and buffets displaying gold and silver plates and cups. These tables served both ornamental and social purposes, showcasing the host’s wealth. The best wooden table was placed in the Hall, with guests sitting on one side and servants using the other for service. Richly embroidered tapestries with family crests were hung on the walls, and a large, monumental chimney completed the decor.
In the 13th century, the decor favored rich fabrics for covering tables, curtains, and embroidered cushions. Wood furniture became preferred over precious metals as covered surfaces grew. Tapestries provided greater comfort and were more economical, as they were transportable and could be taken from castle to castle. The best tapestries were made at Arras in the first half of the 14th century, hence the name “arras”.
Did Romans have sofas?
It is a common feature of Roman homes that couches, or lecti, are present for the purpose of lounging or relaxing. Such substantial, recumbent couches were utilized in contexts of significance and festivity, in contrast to the chairs employed for the act of dining.
What was the fabric most used by poor people during the Middle Ages?
The attire of medieval peasants was characterized by simplicity and functionality, predominantly comprising wool or linen fabrics. In many instances, these garments were crafted by women themselves. The fabric was available in a variety of simple colors, including grays, browns, and occasionally blue.
What were the features of medieval furniture?
The 15th century saw significant constructional improvements, including the introduction of drawers into cupboards and storage furniture, neater joints like the mitre and mortise and tenon, and panelling often decorated with linenfold or parchment. Linenfold was widely used in France, Flanders, Low Germany, Baltic, Scandinavia, and England, and was carved with a sharper definition and greater delicacy than in England and elsewhere. Other forms of carved decoration on furniture became more common during the 15th century, when surfaces were carved with tracery and other Gothic motifs.
During the Middle Ages, many pieces of furniture, including those with carved decoration, were painted and sometimes gilded, a practice that continued well into the Renaissance. Chairs, tables, and various types of cupboards were frequently draped with bright fabrics, while chairs, settles, and other seat furniture were provided with cushions.
The chest was the basic type of medieval furniture, serving as a cupboard, trunk, seat, and, if necessary, as a simple form of table and desk. It was from this versatile piece that several other types, such as the cupboard and the box chair, were evolved. Chairs remained scarce throughout the Middle Ages, and occupation of a chair long symbolized authority or a mark of honor. Early chairs constructed of turned spindles, seen in Romanesque sculpture, have already been mentioned.
Later, there were two main types: one was a variety of folding chair with an X-shaped frame made of both wood and metal, and another was a heavier type of chair. Panelling, often carved with linenfold and other Gothic motifs, was used on the back, arms, and base.
Tables were mainly of trestle construction with long rectangular tops that could be dismantled. In the 15th century, smaller tables were made for convenience and, especially, drawn up to the fire. Various forms of cupboards, ambries, and dressoirs were developed, panelled and decorated with linenfold or Gothic carved ornament. Cupboards, dressoirs, and credence tables were used for storing plate and serving at banquets, with top shelves sometimes cantilevered or projected on brackets to free the front corners for use.
What was furniture like in the Middle Ages?
The 15th century saw significant constructional improvements, including the introduction of drawers into cupboards and storage furniture, neater joints like the mitre and mortise and tenon, and panelling often decorated with linenfold or parchment. Linenfold was widely used in France, Flanders, Low Germany, Baltic, Scandinavia, and England, and was carved with a sharper definition and greater delicacy than in England and elsewhere. Other forms of carved decoration on furniture became more common during the 15th century, when surfaces were carved with tracery and other Gothic motifs.
During the Middle Ages, many pieces of furniture, including those with carved decoration, were painted and sometimes gilded, a practice that continued well into the Renaissance. Chairs, tables, and various types of cupboards were frequently draped with bright fabrics, while chairs, settles, and other seat furniture were provided with cushions.
The chest was the basic type of medieval furniture, serving as a cupboard, trunk, seat, and, if necessary, as a simple form of table and desk. It was from this versatile piece that several other types, such as the cupboard and the box chair, were evolved. Chairs remained scarce throughout the Middle Ages, and occupation of a chair long symbolized authority or a mark of honor. Early chairs constructed of turned spindles, seen in Romanesque sculpture, have already been mentioned.
Later, there were two main types: one was a variety of folding chair with an X-shaped frame made of both wood and metal, and another was a heavier type of chair. Panelling, often carved with linenfold and other Gothic motifs, was used on the back, arms, and base.
Tables were mainly of trestle construction with long rectangular tops that could be dismantled. In the 15th century, smaller tables were made for convenience and, especially, drawn up to the fire. Various forms of cupboards, ambries, and dressoirs were developed, panelled and decorated with linenfold or Gothic carved ornament. Cupboards, dressoirs, and credence tables were used for storing plate and serving at banquets, with top shelves sometimes cantilevered or projected on brackets to free the front corners for use.
What was the most expensive clothing in the Middle Ages?
In the Middle Ages, hemp and nettles were used for creating workaday fabrics, including sails, rope, aprons, and undergarments. Cotton, which doesn’t grow well in cooler climates, was less common in northern Europe than wool or linen. However, a cotton industry existed in southern Europe in the 12th century. Leather production dates back to prehistoric times and was used for shoes, belts, armor, horse tackle, furniture, and various everyday products. It could be dyed, painted, or tooled for ornamentation.
📹 The Middle Ages Explained in 10 minutes
One of the least understood periods of European history occurred between the 6th century and the 14th or 15th century …
Ark chests were still made and used here in Slovakia in the 20th century and were used to store clothes, expensive items and cereals, they were called suseks because they were cut (sekane) with axes and the connecting grooves were cut with a shingle knife, the main material was beech or oak wood, they were often decorated ornamental motifs and were rarely painted, they are no different from their medieval predecessors
adding a comment so more see this. great article it helped me come up with the ideas on the 2 ( sure i will stop at 2 lol ) chests i want to build for my house. i think i will adjust a Viking chest to have vertical sides to be a keepsakes box and a mix of 6 panel and naval sea chest with some hidden bits for and entrance chest sitting bench so the shoes are hidden.
Thank you! This was a very well-made presentation that obviously required much research. It is well-known that we humans are very conservative in our social and material cultures. Some ceremonies and processes that we may perceive as modern have ancient origins in Rome due to their colonization of Europe. Our material culture is no different. Iron-bound, round-topped traveling chests from the 1800s and 1900s may be found in many antique stores today. Also interesting is that while we have progressed in many ways materially, our designs are similar to the chest from Egypt, i.e. box + lid + legs. This is because while we know more today, our bodies are the same and respond to the same environmental and ergonomic phenomena. Mice and insects still invade our spaces. Rain still falls. We still occasionally travel with clothing and other items. While we would never fly with our large, heavy antique wooden chest, we do travel with our smaller, lighter, modern chest that we hold in our hand with a single handle (luggage / suitcase). Also, thank you for the very detailed notes below! I appreciate your thoroughness! The in-video times, illustrations, and sources are very helpful.
n the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and transitioned into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. Population decline, counterurbanisation, the collapse of centralized authority, invasions, and mass migrations of tribes, which had begun in Late Antiquity, continued into the Early Middle Ages. The large-scale movements of the Migration Period, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. In the 7th century, North Africa and the Middle East—most recently part of the Eastern Roman (or Byzantine) Empire—came under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate, an Islamic empire, after conquest by Muhammad’s successors. Although there were substantial changes in society and political structures, the break with classical antiquity was not complete. The still-sizeable Byzantine Empire, Rome’s direct continuation, survived in the Eastern Mediterranean and remained a major power. Secular law was advanced greatly by the Code of Justinian. In the West, most kingdoms incorporated extant Roman institutions, while new bishoprics and monasteries were founded as Christianity expanded in Europe.
You got the part about eastern Roman Empire (came to be known as Byzantine by recent historians) wrong. They didn’t claim to be romans they were romans before the split of the empire to east and west. Also the eastern Roman Empire (fully hellenized by then) did not collapse after the death of Constantine, but survived until 1453 when ottomans concurred Constantinople thous making the Roman Empire the longer standing empire in the history
The only correction I’d make is one concerning the Roman Empire. It didn’t receive its “final blow” in 410 with Alaric’s sack, nor did it fall in 476. The Eastern Empire was only named “Byzantine” centuries later – for hundreds of years after 476, they still considered themselves the Roman Empire. In fact, they succeeded in recapturing much of the Western Empire, including Rome itself.
The war of French succession and the 100 years war are totally separate. The war of French succession lasted 8 years and happened in the 1700s. Plus the 100 years war was started Because of a dispute over Gascony between king Edward the 3rd and Philip the 4th not Charles the 4th. He was the king of bohemia and the holy roman emperor during the 1300s.
It’s inaccurate to say the Byzantines “thought of themselves as Romans.” They called themselves Romans because they WERE Romans. Their capital city of Constantinople was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great on the site of the original Greek city Byzantium. Historians invented the name “Byzantine” 100 years after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 as a way to distinguish the Greek speaking Christian empire centered on Constantinople from the Latin speaking empire founded in Rome. That said, the Roman Empire lived on for 1000 years after Odoacer deposed Romulus Agustulus and took over. By that point, the Germanic magister militum had been the power behind the throne for a century under Stilicho, Aetius, and Ricimer in that order. Odoacer simply dispensed with the formality. The Roman Empire (the eastern half) midwifed the Renaissance by preserving Greek and Roman texts and through diplomatic contacts with Baghdad. When the Mongols sacked Baghdad, its knowledge was preserved in Constantinople. When Constantinople fell, its scholars fled to Venice, Genoa, Florence, and Milan, beginning the Italian Renaissance. We owe a tremendous debt to the Roman (Byzantine) Empire, a fact that is largely forgotten today.
This is mainly about Europe right ? Because within those years, the Othman / Islamic Golden Empire thrived and Innovations were achieved during Europe’s “Dark Ages”. Ironically, it thrived because of the spread of the ‘proper practise’ of Islam which encourages research & reading unlike what we have today
First off the Middle ages started in the 4th century not the 5th century and it ended in the 15th 14th century and also so people know everybody is always being told there was no Middle ages in America but yes there was cuz there were people living here there were the natives living here in America and there were the Vikings living here in America who arrived in America in 1021 which was in the 10th century and they left in the 15th century people aren’t taught us in school for some reason I was homeschooled and I was talked this from real history books.
“Middle ages 500-1500ad often known as *the dark ages or medieval times”. Wrong wrong wrong, The dark ages is between 500 – 800ad in western Europe. Even shorter for eastern Europe. Its known as *Dark ages” simply because during the Roman empire news travelled around it within days, After the Roman empire collapsed in western and central Europe, it only survived in east Europe . During the post Roman era, all news stopped, Germanic tribes were conquering the rest of Europe, Italy, Spain, Frankia, Britain, mostly illiterate peoples who took individual kingdoms, Only when the church became established across Europe did writing spread across Europe as it did in the Roman empire days did the dark ages end! It’s as simple as that.
The Roman Empire didn’t fall in 476, it fell in 1453 The Byzantines weren’t their own thing It was the Eastern Roman Empire It was literally Rome itself Also “After Constantine died, the Byzantine Empire splintered” No… no it didn’t Constantine was the Roman Emperor for the entirety of the realm, not just the Eastern Roman Empire After the fall of the West, the East still thrived and survived 1000 more years
The middle ages ended with the end of the great plague. Now Europe could leave the worst behind and with Europe radically restructured because of the effects of the plague Europe could start rising. The nation state was consolidating(aragon-castile union), concerted effort to travel farther(Portugal rounding southern africa), typing press, beginning of Renaissance. All this existed during the middle ages but it really exploded after the end of the great plague
This article is so inaccurate. The fall of Rome led to what we know as the dark ages, and the byzantines weren’t the byzantines til after they had collapsed. That was a term later historians had given them, to distinguish them because the byzantines actually considered themselves simply the eastern Romans. The term Byzantine wasn’t widely used until after 1450s when they collapsed. And that’s just 2 things I could be bothered to correct…
I’d argue the cause of the first crusade wasn’t a simple pious desire to retake the Holy Land, as Jerusalem had been Muslim for centuries. At that time, Pope Urban II (who called for the first crusade) was one of two people claiming the papacy. It was an appeal to the masses in order to gain their favor: if you unite under my cause, you will achieve salvation. This public support did end up making him the sole pontiff.
Repent The Lord is Coming soon! Revive salvation or your portion which is death and hell as well as the rest of us. But because God is Good and not is we don’t have to go. Know Jesus not Just of Him❤️ He is coming real soon; even Russia and the Ukraine situation is Biblical prophecy. Repent The Lord is coming soon! Be born again❤️ Baptized in The Holy Spirit 🙂
Hello! PSA 😅🗣 there are prophecies in the Bible saying that Satan would disrupt Jesus’ ministry (bc Jesus is GOD who died for our sins). It is natural for the 2 to be opposed of each other (Daniel 7:25). Satan changed everything about Jesus’ teachings thru the Roman Catholic Church (due to Rome’s authority politically & religiously). That is why ☝️ Gospel was changed into 800+ denominations #Respectfully 😉
They portray this in a way, that is not very balanced. Tenpole Tudor the british punk band of the late 1970’s became known with their album: “Swords Of A Thousand Men”. The lead singer Mr. Tudor had found out that his ancestry is the Tudors. What he withheld was that he was a chosenite and of course the Tudors were people of the nose tribe too. The magic noses were not known only to poison the wells but poison Christians with their concoctions & potions camouflaged as doctors. On the Synod of Salamanca in middle age Europe was mentioned that the J’s become physicians only to poison Christians. Oxford Languages: Synod: an assembly of the clergy and sometimes also the laity in a diocese or other division of a particular Church. Laity: 1. lay people, as distinct from the clergy. 2. ordinary people, as distinct from professionals or experts. The Arab Muslimi empire made laws in 333 A.D. (After Christ) against the Jays to become physicians, as they also killed with their concoctions the muslims camouflaged as doctors. An interesting point of reference in this scenario of manipulation, is the case of the company “Merck”. Merck, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation, is providing worldwide via distribution their drugs in a continental spectrum. It was Merck, who had it’s first Apothecary – meaning drug store in the world, opened up in Darmstadt Germany in the 1660’s – late medieval Europe. Of today their drug stores are spread all over the world. Its not a coincidence that the Greek word Pharmaceutical-Pharmakia by definition is translated as=Sorcery & Magic.