Governance in the Middle Ages Feudalism & Manorialism

The Middle Ages 9th C. Europe Began when the Western Roman empire fell in the 5th century & faded as the Renaissance took hold across Europe in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. It was violent & dangerous, with numerous wars & foreign invasions. 9th C. Europe

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From about 800 to 1000, western Europe was subjected to a series of invasions by Muslims on the Italian Peninsula,  Magyars in Germany and Italy, and the Vikings from the north

The Emergence of Feudalism In the face of these attacks, the various kings & rulers throughout Western Europe were not powerful enough to protect their lands Simultaneously, the wealthy nobles fought each other for greater territory and power. The kings made a deal with the nobles, in which they gave nobles land & promised to protect them. In return, the nobles promised to be loyal to the king & to supply him with armed warriors & other services.

Feudalism: Definition a highly decentralized form of government that stressed alliances of mutual protection between monarchs & nobles with varying degrees of power. It was based on giving land to nobles in exchange for loyalty & military aid. political ties between lords & other lords

Feudalism: Important Concepts To fully understand feudalism it is important to understand the following concepts: Fief: a grant of land given from a lord to a vassal in return for an oath of loyalty & armed warriors (an estate} Lord: a powerful land-owner who ruled over an area while maintaining allegiance to the king Vassal: someone who lives on the lord’s land, providing loyalty in return for protection (lesser lords} Feudal Contract: rules governing the relationship between lord & vassals, based on traditional practices

The Feudal Pyramid The structure of feudal society resembled a pyramid Monarchs Nobles Knights Peasants

CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMID OR POWER

CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMID OF POWER SERFS AND FREEMEN

CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMID OF POWER LESSER NOBLES (KNIGHTS) LABOR PROTECTION SERFS AND FREEMEN

CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMID OF POWER POWERFUL NOBLES LAND AND PROTECTION LOYALTY AND MILITARY SERVICE LESSER NOBLES (KNIGHTS) LABOR PROTECTION SERFS AND FREEMEN

CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMID OF POWER KING LOYALTY AND SERVICE LAND POWERFUL NOBLES LAND AND PROTECTION LOYALTY AND MILITARY SERVICE LESSER NOBLES (KNIGHTS) LABOR PROTECTION SERFS AND FREEMEN

Social Classes In the feudal system, status determined a person’s power & prestige Those who fought (nobles & knights) Those who prayed (men / women of the church) Those who worked (the peasants) These social classes were usually inherited

Social Classes In Europe in the Middle Ages, the vast majority of people were peasants. Most peasants were serfs, meaning that they could not lawfully leave the place where they were born. Though bound to the land, serfs were not slaves. Their lords could not sell or buy them. But what their labour produced belonged to the lord

Manorialism: Definition Closely connected with feudalism was manorialism Economic system that supported feudalism (A system of agricultural production) Provided lords & peasants with food, shelter, & protection

Manorialism: Important Concepts To fully understand manorialism it is important to understand the following concepts: A manor: it might include a village or several villages & the surrounding land administered by a lord Serfs: Peasants who were tied to the lord’s land on the manor Demesne: a portion of manor land that a lord reserved for his own use

Life on a Manor Due to invasions, each manor was largely self-sufficient, growing or producing all of the basic items needed for food, clothing, and shelter. To meet these needs, the manor had buildings devoted to special purposes, such as the mill for grinding grain, the bake house for making bread, and the blacksmith shop for fashioning metal goods. Notice that one of the fields has been left fallow, or unplanted, so that the soil can replenish its nutrients

The Emergence of Feudalism

Feudalism: Decline Changing warfare made armoured knights almost useless Longbows knocked Knights from their horses Heavy armour hampered Knights fighting on the ground Cannons destroyed castle walls A larger tax base allowed for the emergence of standing armies