Feudalism Definition of Feudalism: “A social system that existed in Europe during the Middle Ages in which people worked and fought for nobles who gave them protection and the use of land in return”

Feudalism Discovery Ed- Feudalism Small kingdoms, called fiefs, developed throughout Europe Fiefs divided people into certain groups

Kings It was believed that God chose kings to rule the land Because there was too much land for the king to govern by himself, he granted land to his allies to control In return for the land, the landowners (Dukes and Earls) would send knights to serve in the king’s army

Nobles/Lords Nobles spent most of their time trying to conquer new lands or protecting their own land Clergy (people working in the church) had a lot of wealth and power Nobles and lords were expected to help protect the land for the king if it was threatened They were also in charge of protecting serfs and peasants

Knights A knight was a professional warrior Knights were vassals. This means they received land in return for protecting their noble or king’s land They trained from a very early age Knights are expected to follow the code of chivalry. This means they were supposed to be brave, fair, and treat others with respect

Serfs/Peasants Provided labor in exchange for land to live on and protection They were poor and lived in small huts in poor conditions Serfs could never earn enough money and were in a constant cycle of poverty Serfs had little rights and were not allowed to leave the land