The Middle Ages were a time of contradiction and startling contrast. For most, daily life meant a struggle for survival, in which scarcity, disease, and war could not be avoided for long. Half of all children never made it to adolescence, and those that did survive to adulthood were as hard put as their parents had been to bring along the next generation.

Yet the Middle Ages also produced cultural works of great beauty, from Gregorian chant to Gothic cathedrals. They produced technologies that would forever alter the world, from mechanical clocks to the printing press. Individuals and peoples moved back and forth across Europe and beyond, coming into contact with others and learning about their world in the process.

Through illustrated presentations, Medieval historian Philip Daileader examines the social, cultural, and religious history of the people during this time of contradictions and invigoration.

9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Love, Marriage, and the Facts of Life

Birth, marriage, and death—the institutions and emotions of family life.

11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Work and Money

The experience of work for peasants and craftsmen; how the increased use of money transformed medieval Europe.

12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Lunch

Participants provide their own lunch.

1:30 to 2:45 p.m. Humanity and Divinity

The Middle Ages were often called an “Age of Faith.” Why? A look at the nature and variety of religious experience.

3 to 4:15 p.m. Kings, Emperors, and Life on the Edges

The Middle Ages were a time of Crusades and European expansion. What was life like for those in the frontier regions?

Daileader is an associate professor of history at the College of William and Mary and has taught for The Teaching Company.