<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> <P> The practice of sending children away to act as servants was even more common in towns than in the countryside . The inhabitants of towns largely made their livelihood as merchants or artisans, and this activity was strictly controlled by guilds . The members of these guilds would in turn employ young people--primarily boys--as apprentices, to learn the craft and later take a position as guild members themselves . These apprentices made up part of the household--or "family"--as much as the children of the master . </P> <P> Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the functions and composition of households started to change . This was due primarily to two factors . First of all, the introduction of gunpowder to the field of warfare rendered the castle a less effective defence, and did away with the military function of the household . The result was a household more focused on comfort and luxury, and with a significantly larger proportion of women . </P>

High official in the household of a medieval king crossword