Education

Overview
Being properly educated in medieval times was a luxury, that is not to say that people weren’t educated to a certain degree. There are different ways to be educated with different goals in mind, for example: In towns and villages regular young people would be taught about the importance of religion whilst also equipping young people for their destined occupations. There were not really schools like we have in modern times but instead schools attached to churches, cathedrals and monasteries. If you were to work the fields, you would be introduced to this at the age of 7. Exceptions to this would be if you were the children of a Lord in which you would be privately educated instead.

The son of a knight would be sent off at the age of 7 to serve in the household of another knight (usually a family member) where they would learn the skills and disciplines of combat and the lifestyle of a knight. Another path one would be educated would be if you were to join the Church, in which you would list you into a career of worship.

In the realistic 12th century, you would find that only priests and clergymen would be able to read and write however for the purpose of this ‘alternative’ timeline, we are making it so those with a good education would have a better chance to read and write. That said, a peasant would certainly not be able to read or write, nor would they really need to.