Medieval Times: Falconry In The Middle Ages

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Thrash! Snap! Crunch! That is the treacherous sound of a falcon hunting. Falconry in the middle ages was not exactly easy. The falcons had talons that would pierce the falconer’s skin if he was not careful. Falconers would be called lots of different names, such as, Falconer, Huntsman, Huntress, Hawker, and many more. Falconers had to go through many steps with each bird. Getting it comfortable with its new surroundings would be hard on its own, but teaching the birds to hunt wasn’t as fun as it sounds. Falconry started around 2000 B.C, in China. Spreading west, it finally hit Britain by 860 A.D. An Arabic legend says that the first falconer was a King that had seen a falcon kill another bird so he directed his men to capture it. Falconry…show more content…
The women of the time had to weave the fabric to sew the clothing. Peasants normally only had one pair of clothes, which were washed rarely. In the Middle Ages, men would wear tunics and long stockings, while women wore dresses and wool stockings. The housing was even simpler than the clothing in the Middle Ages. Back then, peasants would live in villages near the Lord’s manor. In the Middle Ages, houses were made of rock, or branches drenched in mud and straw. Normally, houses would have two rooms. One room was a common room, it had tables, chairs, and chests. The second room was a living space, it contained beds for the whole family. Lights in the house were candles. Most peasants would also have a kitchen, in which they would cook their food. Generally, peasants would live off the land, they usually ate bread, porridge, vegetables, and occasionally, some meat. The most important crops were beans, corn, and wheat. Only some peasants were wealthy enough to own goats or cows, for the people that did, they would have a good supply of milk and…show more content…
Falconry is the hunting of wild animals using trained birds of prey. The falconer made jesses, leather straps with a bell on them that goes on the falcons’ feet so you could identify it. The falconer would also make leather hoods for the birds to wear until they are comfortable with their surroundings. The last and most important tool that the falconer would make was a leather glove that the falconer would wear so the birds’ talons wouldn’t pierce his skin. He would keep the birds in a very large cage so they can strengthen their wings before flying. After being in the cage, the falcon would be fitted for a leather hood or have their eyes permanently stitched shut. Falconers would slowly unstitch or take the hood off of the birds’ eyes for brief amounts of time until they are comfortable with their new surroundings. Falconers in the middle ages would generally use female birds because they were fuller and were superior to bringing down larger, ideal prey. Occasionally, during the falcons’ training, they would chase a wooden bird that is flung around on the end of a cord. During training, the falcons would be let out, and then drawn back to their master with

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