Life and Death in the Late Middle Ages In this French manuscript illumination from 1465, armored knights kill peasants while they work in the fields or take refuge in a castle. Aristocratic violence was a common feature of late medieval life, although nobles would generally not have bothered to put on their armor to harass villagers.
(From Cas de Nobles Hommes et Femmes, 1465/Musée Condé, Chantilly, France/Bridgeman Images)