<P> As more land was won for cultivation, this trend changed . During the High and Late Middle Ages, women were increasingly married away in their teens, leading to higher birth rates . While women would be married once they reached reproductive age, men had to possess independent means of sustenance--to be able to provide for a family--before entering into marriage . For this reason, the average age of marriage for men remained high, in the mid - to late twenties . </P> <P> Even though peasant households were significantly smaller than aristocratic ones, the wealthiest of these would also employ servants . Service was a natural part of the cycle of life, and it was common for young people to spend some years away from home in the service of another household . This way they would learn the skills needed later in life, and at the same time earn a wage . This was particularly useful for girls, who could put the earnings towards their dowry . </P> <P> The houses of medieval peasants were of poor quality compared to modern houses . The floor was normally of earth, and there was very little ventilation or sources of light in the form of windows . In addition to the human inhabitants, a number of livestock animals would also reside in the house . Towards the end of the medieval period, however, conditions generally improved . Peasant houses became larger in size, and it became more common to have two rooms, and even a second floor . </P> <P> The medieval world was a much less urban society than either the Roman Empire or the modern world . The fall of the Roman Empire had caused a catastrophic de-population of the towns and cities that had existed within the Empire . Between the 10th and 12th centuries, however, a revival of the European city occurred, with an increase in the urbanisation of society . </P>

High officers in the household of a medieval king crossword