Medieval Life was based on feudalism and the manorial system Chapter 7, Section 2 Feudalism is the way of life for most of Europe by the 900s. Feudalism: a political system in which kings and powerful nobles grant land to other nobles in return for loyalty, military assistance, and services.

Feudalism Arose from the absence of a strong central government. Nobles decided to govern their own lands. Wealthy nobles let less wealthy people use their land in return for support (military, politics, etc). The lord has land, the vassal gets to use the land, and the land itself is called a fief. Fiefs are hereditary and lords could own more than one. Both the King and the Church had feifdoms—the King’s real power lay in how many fiefs he controlled. . Essentially a government and military system.

Feudal Relationships 3 Key Points: 1. Extremely honorable relationship between legal equals. Only nobles can be vassals. 2. You could be a vassal to a greater lord, and still be a lord to a lesser vassal. (play both roles) 3. Depended upon personal relationships between the lord and vassal. Mutual obligations, but the vassal had more obligations to the lord than vice- versa (ex. Provide the lord w/ cavalry & soldiers, attend important events for the lord, pay ransom if needed.

Feudal Justice Decisions made in 1 of 3 ways: 1. Trial by Battle: the accuser and defendant fight; who wins determines guilt or innocence. 2. Oath-taking (compurgation): Basically you call as many people as you can to stand as a witness for you and swear you’re telling the truth. 3. Ordeal: The accused does a terrible physical task (carry hot iron, walk through fire) and if the wounds heal quickly you are judged innocent.

Feudal Warfare Many, many wars and battles- often between rival lords (private wars). The church tried to limit the amount of fighting Issued the “Peace of God” decree: states that you cannot fight in certain places (churches, etc). “Truce of God” decree: banned fighting on weekends and holy days. Added so many days that eventually there were only 80 days/year you could have a war on. Neither was particularly effective. Private wars continued until the Kings became strong enough to actually stop them.

Manorial System Basically, the economic system that worked with feudalism. The large estate (manor) included the manor house, pastures, fields, and village. Small fiefs probably only had one manor, but large fiefs had multiple. Manors tried to be self-sufficient. Very few things were imported (salt, iron, tar).

Manorial System cont’d Land was shared between the lord and peasants Lord=1/3 of the land Peasants=2/3 of the land; must pay the lord (part of their crops, skilled work like blacksmithing, taxes) for using his land. A typical village had a water-powered mill near a stream, a cluster of houses, the manor/castle and three primary fields for harvesting grain. Only 2 fields would be planted at a time, and rotated each year.

Peasant Life Serfs: Most of the people on the manor; they were bound to the land. Cannot leave without the lord’s permission (permission was incredibly expensive) Cannot be sold; are NOT slaves. Free people also worked the manor-usually as artisans. Very poor diet for everyone: lots of beer and wine, cabbage, coarse black bread. No meat b/c animals were needed for the farming & you couldn’t hunt on the lord’s land. Life expectancy was less than 40 years b/c of diseases and starvation. Made it a very young society; can be influential/important by early 20s.

Nobility and Castles Did not live in the stone castles most people imagine Castles/manors actually made of earth and wood; fairly basic structures. Built for defense, not luxury. Placed on hills if possible; when they were on flat land, a moat was built. The keep is the main part- basically a tower that held all the storerooms, barracks, receiving hall, and the family’s living quarters. Marriages were made for advancement in society, not love. Entertainment was infrequent, but mostly consisted of mock battles and tournaments (often led to serious injury or death).

Knighthood To become a knight: Originally, any noble proving himself in battle could be knighted by any existing knight. Later, it became more difficult. To become a knight: Age 7: Become a page (knight’s attendant) Learn knightly manners, fighting, weaponry care, etc. Early Teens: Become a squire (knight’s assistant) Continue all earlier training, but also begin caring for horses, armor, weapons, clothing. Eventually, prove yourself ready for battle and accompany the knight. Prove yourself in the battle, then finally be knighted in an elaborate ceremony.

Chivalry (develops in the 1100s) Chivalry-the code of conduct for knights Requires bravery (to the point of foolishness), fair fighting, loyalty, honesty, courtesy to women. Generally improved the manners of early feudal lords. Courtesy was only required to be extended to people of the same social class (not serfs, lower free people, etc). Helped develop the tradition of carrying banners, shields, crests, and the family coat of arms.