Paper Topic:

how did the slow, but definite growth of domesticity in the Middle-Ages affect furniture? (Do not forget about the rising of a middle-class.)

The meaning of domesticity in The Middle Ages took on a variety of interpretations . It typically encompasses anything from the family unit , their dwelling house and their friends and neighbors to rulers and their castles . The home , as the axis of domesticity could be viewed as a structure together with its contents and lay out . Naturally the growth and development of furniture runs parallel to the growth and development of domesticity throughout The Middle Ages

Nomadic culture was prevalent during The Middle Ages and domestic furniture was constructed to reflect the demands

of transient lifestyles . Wealthy landowners together with nobility rarely remained in one place for an extended period as they often traveled between their domains . Heavy , bulky furniture was entirely undesirable in the circumstances . Therefore the furniture was designed for mobility and easy disassembly

The chest was perhaps the most common item of household furniture and reflected the nomadic culture of The Middle Ages more effectively than any other item of furniture . The chest proved to be a diverse item of domestic furniture . It was ideal for storing and transferring goods from one destination to another . Upon arrival at a destination the chest could be used as a table or a mantle

The Middle Ages which stretched over a period of about one thousand years commencing with the fall of Rome in 476 A .D and ending with the conquest of the Turk 's Constantinople in 1453 B .C . `It was the age of monasteries and convents , of religious persecutions and of heroic struggles of the Christian Church (Litchfield . 2004 ) The period was also marked by a progression of feudalism and war as well as chivalry However , `towards the close , a time of comparative civilization and progress , of darkness giving way to the light which followed the night of the Middle Ages preceding the dawn of the Renaissance (Litchfield 2004

Constantinople , the capital city of the Eastern Empire began to grow in popularity and as a result the migration to the capital city , of families of respectable means grew . When they left their homes for Constantinople they carried with them all of their valuable possessions The wealth homeowners gravitated toward more ornamental household furnishings and fittings . This represented a departure from the early Classic Greek to a more Byzantine style (Rowling . 1973

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The dictates of a prevalent Christianity significantly influenced the role of women in The Middle Ages . Ladies were permitted `to be seen in chariots and open carriages , the designs of which , therefore , improved and became more varied (Litchfield . 2004 ) And there was a cessation of the old tradition of `reclining at meals (Litchfield 2004 ) was replaced by having guests occupying benches

Until the turn of the fourteenth century the ordinary dwelling house was simplistic in its furnishing , reflecting a slow growth in domesticity with the emergence of the well off merchant mentality . In France , for instance , the main room in a given home contained a `bedstead and a prie dieu chair , a table with plain...

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