Chapter 13 Early Middle Ages *Feudalism may be considered (1) a social system of RIGID CLASS DISTINCTIONS and a static, or unchanging, way of life; (2) a political system of local government and military defense, and (3) and economic system of self-sufficient agricultural manors. *The invasions by Vikings and Magyars contributed heavily to the development of feudalism in western Europe. *Feudal Society has RIGID CLASS DISTINCTIONS. It was sharply divided into (a) land- holding nobles who were the upper class and (B) the peasants or serfs who were the lower class. Positions in feudal society were determined by birth. Serfs could not advance to higher social status. The serfs included men, women, and children. *The establishment of a rigid class structure was a direct effect of the Feudal system in medieval Europe.

Feudal System Pyramid *1. The King- head of society, owned all the land in the kingdom and decided to whom he would lease land. He therefore typically allowed tenants he could trust to lease land from him. However, before they were given any land they had to swear an oath of loyalty to the King at all times. The men who leased land from the King were known as Barons, they were wealthy, powerful and had complete control of the land they leased from the King. 2. Powerful Lords (Barons) – stood right below the King as his vassal. These lords received grants of land called fiefs from the king and in return pledged him allegiance and military service. Barons leased land from the King that was known as a manor. They were known as the Lord of the Manor and were in complete control of this land. They established their own system of justice, minted their own money and set their own taxes. In return for the land they had been given by the King, the Barons had to serve on the royal council, pay rent and provide the King with Knights for military service when he demanded it. They also had to provide lodging and food for the King and his court when they travelled around his realm. The Barons kept as much of their land as they wished for their own use, then divided the rest among their Knights. Barons were very rich.

3. Lesser Lords (Knights) – vassals of the powerful lords 3. Lesser Lords (Knights) – vassals of the powerful lords. Knights were given land (fiefs) by a Baron in return for military service when demanded by the King. They also had to protect the Baron and his family, as well as the Manor, from attack. The Knights kept as much of the land as they wished for their own personal use and distributed the rest to serfs. Although not as rich as the Barons, Knights were quite wealthy. 4. Serfs – highest in population, bottom of the social structure. They had to provide the Knight with free labour, food and service whenever it was demanded. Serfs had no rights. They were not allowed to leave the Manor and had to ask their Lord’s permission before they could marry. Villeins were poor.

Manors *The feudal system was a political and social system. This system was called the Manorial System because it was built around large estates called manors. The purpose of the Manorial System was to provide wealth for the Nobles. *The Lord’s estate was called a Manor. It consisted of (a) the farm and Pasture lands; (b) the lord’s castle or manor house, and (c) the village buildings which consisted of a church, blacksmith shops, serfs’ huts. *The manor was largely self-sufficient economically. Most of the land was occupied by fields for crops and pastures for animals. Farmers learned that leaving a field empty for a year helped improve the soil which improved the size of the harvest. This developed into the three field crop rotation system. One field was planted in the spring for a fall harvest, another was planted in winter for a spring harvest and the last field went unplanted for a year. This was known as crop rotation.

Magna Carta *King John demanded increased funds from his feudal nobles and was accused by them of violating their Feudal rights. He was compelled by the nobles to sign the Magna Carta *This document limited royal power by stating that the king (a) may not imprison any free person except by judgement of the person’s peers (equals) and in accordance with the laws (TRIAL BY JURY) and (b) may not levy taxes without consent of the Great Council (nobility and higher clergy) *Originally it protected the medieval feudal nobility against royal tyranny. Over time the charter’s protections were extended to all English people.

Magna Carta *Magna Carta came to mean that (a) the monarch is not an absolute ruler but is subject to laws (b) all persons are guaranteed trial by jury (HAVE THE RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS) and © The Great Council, which later became Parliament, could levy taxes. The Magna Carta is usually considered the cornerstone of the English democracy. It recognized the rights of the nobility in England.

The Moors *Moors were muslims who conquered the Iberian Peninsula, between Spain and Portugal, in the early 700s. These muslims built a powerful state centered in the city of Cordoba. *As early as 722 Christian rulers had begun to fight the Moors trying to drive them out of Europe. Over time Christian rulers continued to push west and in the early 1000s a civil war had broken out in Muslim Spain, weakening the Moorish leaders. The Christian leaders took advantage of this weakness. *1492 – The Moors were driven completely off the Iberian Peninsula and forced to surrender to Granada. *The main effect of the Moors’ expansion into Spain in the 700s was it led to conflicts between Muslims and Christian inhabitants.