The Miserable Life of a Peasant

Reading the information about the peasants, their homes, farming methods, and all of their constant worries, I can't imagine much happiness in their lives. Living in homes that often housed not only the family but some of the animals too? No way. Not only that, the homes were built of materials that would house more insects and vermines than they would protect the family from, and dirt floors? How uncomfortable for these people. Not only the actual living conditions but the way of life and the means by which their life was governed were a constant stress and worry. Weather, watering, ferterlizer, and soil exhaustion are just the beginning. Then there was the raw cost of maintaining the plot of land that was farmed and all of the equipment. One bright side was that this way of life may have brought the community of peasants together as they all owned bits and pieces of land and all had different pieces of equipment the others needed to use as well. So sharing and community support were probably stronger then when the people had so little comparted to now when we have more than we need at times.

Wikipedia - Middle Ages

William I of England had many accomplishments throughout England. There were changes to the laws and even the language during his reign. William I went from hte Duke of Normandy to the King of England. A slightly odd and unique factor in William's life was that he became the Duke of Normandy at the age of eight, due to his father's will. William was also knighted by the age of fifteen. William was seen as a noble leader and had the strong support from the people of Normandy. Through the Battle of Hastings William gained power of England over his two other competetors. Throughout his reign there were many reforms to the governmant of England, one that was long-lasting was French taking over as the language of the ruling classes for more than 300 years. William's history in England is that he was one of the few successful attempts at over-ruling the English throne through force as a foreigner.

1. 4,812
2. William the Conquerer, William I of England
3. No disambiguation link found
4. There is only one article posted, it talks about how this particular article was nominated for good article but it didn't ultimately meet the requirements.
5. There have been more than 500 changes; First change: Nov 22, 2001; most recent: Oct 19, 2008.
6. Seven external links.
7. 20 references.
8. Five

I would reccommend this article to anyone interested because it was a relatively quick and easy read while much information was present. I had no idea who William I was before this article and now I feel I have a fairly good understanding of his importance. The article articulates his life in easy to read and understand paragraphs that are clearly labeled and detailed.