What is the importance of leisure time during medieval life?
Well, leisure time in the Middle Ages was for the same purpose as today, the pursuit of entertainment. Granted, they didn’t have the same resources and outlets for entertainment as we do now. Leisure time was the source behind most medieval artistic culture (music, literature, and visual arts) Women of the nobility used their leisure time for needlework, and tapestry weaving. Court troubadours were hired for their skills with singing and reading epic poems and courtly romances. Men of the nobility would practice their martial abilities in their free time. Jousting tournaments were popular events where this would occur. Monks and priests too enjoyed their free time. Monastery residents would often doodle/sketch in scriptures they were copying. Monks were also the great vintners and brewers of the Middle Ages, experimenting with grapes to develop new vintages (It was a monk in North Central France who discovered how to make Champagne), and creating new ales and beers. So people in the Mi
