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The idea that only the clergy were literate is a misconception and can easily be shown to be wrong.
There were times and places during the middle ages when the only literate people in an area were clergy, but it was definitely not true for the whole of Europe for the whole middle ages.
In the East, the Byzantine Empire had a system of primary schools that was started operating in the year 425 and remained open until Constantinople fell in 1453. The Byzantines wanted their military people to be at least literate. So at least in the Balkans, there were a fair number of literate people for the entire time of the middle ages. (See link below to Wikipedia article on schools.)
In the West, literacy began to decline in the third century, when most emperors did not last long and the land was in constant civil war. The fall in literacy continued as the Germanic tribes invaded, and continued after the fall of Rome in 476. This was partly due to the fact that the dominant German groups had a legal system that was based on strict memorization of the law and some of its important leaders doubtless looked down on people who needed to record things on paper.
Nevertheless, schools were opening, and people were being taught. The oldest state run school in the world, Beverley Grammar School, is in Yorkshire, England, and dates to the year 700. Charlemagne instituted a policy of having the nobility in the eighth century, and literacy was on the rise from that point. King Alfred the Great introduced a policy of primary education in English, which was not the language of the Church, for as many freemen as could make use of it. (See link below to Wikipedia article on Alfred the Great.)
During the High Middle Ages and the Late Middle Ages, increasing levels of technical sophistication required many professions be literate. The people who engineered the Gothic cathedrals and churches are an example. Engineers for such military equipment such as artillery are another. Most of these people were not clergy.
Also, beginning in the High Middle Ages, there were a lot of authors, poets and playwrights who were not clergy. Geoffrey Chaucer, one of England's greatest poets was certainly not a member of the clergy.
The Late Middle Ages also saw a rise in mercantilism. Banking families such as the Medici family controlled vast fortunes. Other people had trading routes. The Hanseatic League, which was controlled by merchants, rivaled nations in size and importance. Medieval communes were citizen controlled walled towns and cities, often republican, and sometimes governed by primitive democracies. All of these operations required literate secular people. (See links below to Wikipedia articles on Medieval Communes and Hanseatic League.)
In fact, if you think about it, there were even Vikings who were literate. They left inscriptions in runes that can be seen to this day. (See link to Runic alphabet.)
What else can I help you with?
Were most kings literate during the middle ages?
Not necessarily, not many people even rich people were literate a king might have had an adviser to read for him.
Were most people highly educated in the middle ages?
THE CLERGY WERE THE MOST EDUCATED CLASS IN THE MEDIEVAL TIMEhope i help you with this answer =]
What did clergy eat in middle ages?
A pope would eat different meats, poultry, bread, vegetables, etc.
What were the two divisions of the clergy in the middle ages?
The two types of clergy were regular clergy and secular clergy. Regular clergy were those who were in monastic orders, and so were regulated by the rules of those orders; they included monks and abbots. Secular clergy were those who served the secular population; they were deacons, priests, and bishops serving the secular people, or people who were not clergy.
How do you think the church of the Middle Ages was affected by the inability of the people to read or write?
It was great for the clergy. It wasn't so great for the faithful.
Were most kings literate during the middle ages?
Not necessarily, not many people even rich people were literate a king might have had an adviser to read for him.
Who read the Medieval Manuscripts after they were written?
Manuscripts were read by literate people, of course. What a lot of people don't know is that there were a lot of literate people in the Middle Ages. In fact there were parts of Europe where the majority of people might have been literate, such as the Byzantine Empire, where there was primary education at the village level for boys and girls for the entire time of the Middle Ages.
Who was literate in the dark ages?
In the Early Middle Ages or Dark Ages, the clergy were mostly literate. Most people who lived in the Byzantine Empire were probably literate because they ran a system of universal primary education there. Nearly all Jewish men and many Jewish women were literate. Nearly all Muslim men were literate. Administrators in parts of Europe where Roman law was still in use were literate, and this extended to Germanic law also by the end of the 8th century. Physicians were literate. There were a number of schools in Italy, not all of which were run by the Church. Charlemagne wanted to have general literacy in his Empire, and Alfred the Great did likewise in England; both of these monarchs had policies directed at widespread literacy in the vernacular languages.
Were most people highly educated in the middle ages?
THE CLERGY WERE THE MOST EDUCATED CLASS IN THE MEDIEVAL TIMEhope i help you with this answer =]
What group was powerful in Europe during the early middle ages?
clergy
What did clergy eat in middle ages?
A pope would eat different meats, poultry, bread, vegetables, etc.
What were the two divisions of the clergy in the middle ages?
The two types of clergy were regular clergy and secular clergy. Regular clergy were those who were in monastic orders, and so were regulated by the rules of those orders; they included monks and abbots. Secular clergy were those who served the secular population; they were deacons, priests, and bishops serving the secular people, or people who were not clergy.
How do you think the church of the Middle Ages was affected by the inability of the people to read or write?
It was great for the clergy. It wasn't so great for the faithful.
Who were the three types of people in the middle ages and what did they do respectively?
There were serfs, who fed everyone. There were the nobility, who protected everyone. And there were clergy, who prayed for everyone to save their souls.
What are short humorous poems that mocked nobles the clergy and townspeople during the Middle Ages?
fables
What percentage of people in the middle ages could read?
About 1% is my guess. They were the priests and clergy and some nobility. Other than that very few people could read.
What were the six different types of clergy during the middle ages?
The clergy attended to preaching, teaching, and caring for the sick. The clergy upheld the doctrines of the Catholic Church and gave stability to the society.
