Feudalism The Formation of Europe ( C.E.)

Social/Economic Hierarchy

Who’s who?  King/lord: Owned land  Vassal: Received land from a lord, responsible for land management  Clergy: lived like wealthy lords, only group educated in subjects other than warfare, owned land  Village Priests: lower class, less educated

Who’s Who? (cont.)  Peasants: serfs, had to work on land born on; could not leave without lord’s permission  Villeins: rented land from lord, worked land, status higher than serfs but lower than nobility

The Manor Home

Day to Day Responsibilties Steward: legal advisor, traveled from manor to manor, monitored accounts, held court Bailiff: supervised peasants/farm work, responsible for getting crops harvested, collecting rent, dues and fines owed Reeve: helped bailiff supervise work, middle man between bailiff and peasants

Agricultural-based Economy The manors were self-managed Farms produced everything that community needed Peasants were bound to land, worked to Lord’s satisfaction This was a limited economic model because it discouraged trade and travel, divided local political territories, and relied too heavily on prosperous growing seasons

Charlemagne ( ) Charles the Great Germanic leader who wanted to organize and unite all people who lived under former Roman Empire Crowned Emperor of Holy Roman Empire by the Catholic Pope Set precedent by establishing a relationship between Church and gov’t

Charlemagne Valued arts and learning, however, could not unify Empire- dies in 814, empire falls into grandsons’ control Did not collect taxes from small political territories-did not make enough money to build bigger, stronger empire Did not effectively communicate with local towns who held their own rules/laws

The Catholic Church Possessed large amounts of land, resulting in power and a fair say in politics United western Christendom Had courts

City Life Lacked roads, had narrow and muddy dirt paths, people often bumped into each other Dark, lack of sunlight, buildings/homes cast shadows amongst each other and over paths Shops located off of paths-created over- crowding, limited fresh air

Disease These conditions created a breeding grounds for disease