The Development of Feudalism in Western Europe

Learning Objective Day 1 Students will be able to describe changes to Medieval Europe after the Fall of Rome. River, hills, and farmland show the lush topography of France.

The Middle Ages in Europe began with the Fall of Rome and lasted about 1000 years. 476 AD to 1450AD Sometimes called the “Dark Ages”, because of the loss of Roman achievements and education. When were the Middle Ages (Medieval Times)?

After the empire collapsed, life was dangerous and difficult in Western Europe. Trade declined and people worked hard simply to survive and to have enough to eat. They also needed to protect themselves from conquest by invading barbarians and neighboring kingdoms. What was life like in Europe after the Fall of Rome?

THINK/ PAIR/ SHARE  What was life in Europe like after the Fall of the Roman Empire?  A’s tell B’s  B’s tell A’s  I will now pick someone to explain to the class.

Here come the Barbarians! Muslims (Followers of Islam from the Middle East and North Africa) Magyars (Central Asian People) Vikings (From the icy North) Western Europe was threatened on all sides by 3 main groups:

Whiteboards  What Empire fell before the start of the Middle Ages?  Roman Empire  Name one Change to Europe after the Fall of Rome:

Summary

Guided Practice  Complete the map activity handout and trace the routes of the barbarians.

Learning Objective Day 2 Students will be able to define Feudalism and describe how it restored order to Europe. River, hills, and farmland show the lush topography of France.

The challenges after the fall of Rome gave rise to the system historians call feudalism (FEWD-ahl- ism). Feudalism established order and provided protection and safety. Think/Pair/Share: Why did Europe have a need for a system that provided protection and safety? Why Feudalism?

What is Feudalism?

Think/Pair/Share  What are the three main systems in Feudalism?  A’s tell B’s  B’s tell A’s  I will now choose someone to explain to the class.

Fill in the box on your graphic organizer. Political System “Political” has to do with who is in charge of the government, how people in the government get along with one another, and how they get along with other governments. Many Kings and large landowners (lords) rule countries or kingdoms. Monarch: another word for king or queen. Think/Pair/Share or Whiteboards: What is another name for a large landower? Another name for a king? What were Kings in charge of?

Fill in your graphic organizer. Economic System “Economic” has to do with how people earn a living and exchange goods or services. Most people live and work their entire lives on manors (a farm and its people and villages controlled by a lord, sometimes protected by a castle.) Few goods came from outside the manor. Think/Pair/Share: Tell your partner what is included on a manor.

Social System “Social” has to do with how different groups of people in a society get along with one another and who is considered more important. Society becomes highly structured, with kings at the top, followed by lords (or nobles), knights, and peasants. Knights become highly valued and respected for their loyalty and military skills. Think/Pair/Share: Who is most important in the medieval social system? Why are knights important?

Learning Objective Day 3 Students will be able to describe the social system in Medieval Europe. Terms: hierarchy, vassal River, hills, and farmland show the lush topography of France.

Feudal Hierarchy This is the feudal hierarchy of medieval Europe. A Hierarchy is any system of people or things ranked above one another Fill in your graphic organizer.

Monarchs In theory, all the land in the kingdom belonged to the monarch (usually a king, but sometimes a queen). A great deal of land was also owned by the Church. Think/Pair/Share: What did monarchs control that made them powerful in the middle ages?

Noble Lords & Vassals In the feudal system, people pledged loyalty to a monarch or a noble lord—a ruler or powerful landholder. In return, they became vassals of the lord. They received protection from that lord and served in the lord’s army in exchange. Think/pair/share: Describe the relationship between lords and vassals.

Noble Lords and Vassals continued…. The king kept some land for himself and gave fiefs : land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service (FEEFS), or land grants, to his most important lords, who became his vassals. In return, each lord promised to supply the king with knights in times of war. A lord then enlisted lesser lords and knights as his vassals. Often, these arrangements were written down. Many of these contracts to this day are in museums.

Knights Warriors, or knights, fought on behalf of their lords. (Suits of armor were made of steel which protected knights in battle, but weighed around 65 pounds.)

At the bottom were the serfs. Peasants worked the land. At the bottom of the system were serfs, peasants who were not free to leave the lord’s land without permission, and they had to farm his fields in exchange for a small plot of their own. During the Middle Ages, people were born into a social class for life. They had the same social position, and often the same job, as their parents.

Think/Pair/Share People in the Middle Ages were born into a social class for life.  How would you feel if you were born as the son of a knight?  How would you feel if you were born as a serf? What did you gain/lose?  Do you think the social system of feudalism was fair?

Whiteboard  What is a serf?  A peasant who is not allowed to leave his lord’s land without permission.  What is another word for king or queen?  Monarch  What is the term for the land a lord gives in return for loyalty?  Fief  What group of people are between a king and a knight on the feudal hierarchy?  Nobles, lords (also church officials)

Learning Objective Day 4 Students will be able to describe the political system in Medieval Europe. Terms: Divine right of kings, noble, duke River, hills, and farmland show the lush topography of France.

Cornell Note Taking Activity  Guided Practice Instructions:  Read p 23 from the textbook. (Teachers make photocopies.)  Circle the main idea of each paragraph in yellow.  Underline one to two important details in each paragraph in red.

Teachers click on

Instructions, continued  Set up your notes in Cornell Style  Write the yellow key ideas on the left.  Write the corresponding red details on the right.  HW: Leave space at the end of your notes for a summary paragraph. Write this using the key ideas.

Learning Objective Day 5 Students will be able to describe the economic system in Medieval Europe. Terms: manor, fief River, hills, and farmland show the lush topography of France.

Most lords and wealthier knights lived on manors, or large estates. A manor included a castle or manor house, one or more villages, the people, and the surrounding farmland. Manors were in the country, far from towns. That meant the peasants had to produce everything the people on the manor needed. Only a few goods came from outside the manor, such as salt for preserving meat and iron for making tools. Think/Pair/Share: Why would it be important to control land in the Middle Ages? The Manor

The castle Served as a home Protected people during times of conflict Was a status symbol. It reminded people of the power of the ruling classes

This fortified castle protected the noble landowner and his peasants against attack in the hostile middle ages. Note how the manor house is protected by hills, moat, draw bridge, and location by a major water source.

Think/Pair/Share  A’s tell B’s one function (purpose) of a castle.  B’s tell A’s another function of a castle.

Whiteboard  What was considered part of the manor?  A. Castle  B. Manor House  C. Villages and Farmland  D. All of the Above

Whiteboard  What was considered part of the manor?  D. All of the Above

Whiteboard Review  What was the purpose of feudalism?  A. It spread democracy by giving the people a voice in their own government.  B. It provided people with protection and safety by establishing a stable social order.  C. It created a fair society by balancing the powers of the monarch and the people.  D. It looked after the welfare of all people by making sure they had all the necessities of life.

Whiteboard Review  What was the purpose of feudalism?  B. It provided people with protection and safety by establishing a stable social order.

When a king granted a fief to a vassal (lord), what did the vassal owe the king in return?  A. He worked the king’s land himself  B. He owed the king nothing but his gratitude  C. He gave the king a supply of knights in a time of war.

When a king granted a fief to a vassal (lord), what did the vassal owe the king in return?  C. He gave the king a supply of knights in a time of war.

What was the function of a castle?  A. To serve as a home  B. To protect people during times of military conflict  C. To remind people of the power of the ruling classes  D. All of the above

What was the function of a castle?  D. All of the above