1 Feudal Society

What is feudalism? ✙ A social system during the Middle Ages ✙ A loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their landholdings among lesser lords. ✙ Lesser lords – know as vassals. ✙ Vassals pledged service & loyalty to the greater lord. ✙ The lord provided protection and the use of land in return.

3 WHY WAS FEUDALISM NECESSARY?

4 Relationship Between Lords and Vassals  The relationship between lords and vassals made up a big part of the political and social structure of the feudal system  Vassals had certain duties to perform for the lord  All nobles were ultimately vassals of the king.

5 What is a Knight? Mounted Warrior

6 A Medieval Knight Almost all nobles were knights Training began at age 7, as a page, under the guidance of the lady of the manor Became squires at age 15 and were trained by other knights Those deemed worthy were “dubbed” knights

7 Workers on the Manor There were two groups of peasant workers on the manor Freemen- skilled workers who paid rent and could leave the manor whenever they wished. (They usually had a skill needed by others on the manor.) Serfs – workers bound to the land by contract with the nobles. (They had no freedom - they were the noble’s property.)

8 Serfs and Village Life

9 Feudal Contract LORDS VASSALS GIVE PROTECTION TO GIVE SERVICE TO

10 CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMID OR POWER

11 CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMID OF POWER The lowest level of Feudal Society was made up of Serfs and Freemen. In return for their labor, they received protection from the Lords/King. SERFS AND FREEMEN

12 CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMID OF POWER The next level of Feudal Society was made up of Knights and Nobles. In return for their loyalty and military service, they received land and protection. LESSER NOBLES (KNIGHTS) LABORPROTECTION SERFS AND FREEMEN

13 CONSTRUCTING THE PYRAMID OF POWER LESSER NOBLES (KNIGHTS) LABORPROTECTION POWERFUL NOBLES SERFS AND FREEMEN LAND AND PROTECTION LOYALTY AND MILITARY SERVICE The next level of Feudal Society was made up of Powerful Nobles. In return for their loyalty and service, they received land.

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

15 REVIEW 1) Everyone owed loyalty to the ________ 2) _______ were really the most powerful. They got _______ from the king. 3) Lesser nobles (knights) gave _________ _________ in return for land 4) _______ were bound to the land. They worked in return for ____________. 5) __________ were skilled workers. They paid rent to the ______ and were free to move if they wanted to. Let’s see how much you remember!

16 Check Your Answers 1) Everyone owed loyalty to the king. 2) Nobles were really the most powerful. They got land from the king. 3) Lesser nobles (knights) gave military service in return for land. 4) Serfs were bound to the land. They worked in return for protection. 5) Freemen were skilled workers. They paid rent to the nobles and were free to move if they wanted to.

Let’s Summarize the material & then let’s look at some interesting facts about Medieval Society as compared to today’s world. 17

Medieval Europe’s Feudal System

Feudal System Roles EuropeWhat is it? Pope Religious Leader Monarch “King” Nobles “Lord, Duke, Count” Knights “Soldier” Merchants Highest Commoner Craftsmen Second Commoner Peasants Lowest Class

Technological Advances In The Middle Ages Other Developments: 1.Spinning wheel for making cloth 2.Hour glass 3.Blast furnace for smelting IRON Agricultural Developments: 1.The Iron Plough 2.Rotating fields in the 3-field system 3.Horse collar and horse shoes

How would your life be if you lived in the middle ages? In the Middle Ages most people had only 1 or 2 changes of clothes – usually wool.

Who’s got the money?  The top 20% of Americans control about 93% of the wealth in the United States.  The top 20% in medieval Europe included the King, Lords, Knights, the Clergy (the Catholic church), and the wealthiest of merchants - they controlled nearly ALL the wealth in Europe. There was a small number of craftsmen and merchants who controlled some wealth, but nearly all farmers did not own their own land and worked for a Lord.

How much work to live?  In the modern United States it takes about 80 days of work on average for a person to pay their rent and taxes for a year.  In the Middle Ages it took about 60 days of work in the worst situations to pay the lord of the castle his share of your crop before you kept the rest for yourself

Holidays… or Holy-days  In the modern United States there are 10 public holidays that we are exempt from work due to federal law.  In the Middle Ages the Catholic Church demanded attendance and no work on 80 Holy Days, or holidays.

Lifespan & health  In the modern world you can expect to live about 80 years. Most common cause of death is heart disease or cancer.  In the Middle Ages life expectancy averaged at about 30 years. Most common cause of death was infection, disease, or violence.

Marriage & childbirth  In the modern world the average age to wed is between 27 and 29, and women usually have their first child at around 25. We pick who to marry.  In the Middle ages the average age to wed was 12 to 16 depending upon one’s social standing and the country one lived in, and women usually had their first child at around age 16. Often, especially amongst the nobility, marriages were arranged by the parents and were planned from birth.

What to do for fun?  Modern kids keep busy mostly with TV, videos, video games, computers, sports, recorded music, the mall, cell phones, board games, reading, and public school. Your entertainment is only limited by your wallet.  Medieval kids worked part-time, and for fun competed in sports, played dolls, played hoops, dancing and music was important, story-telling was popular, and they played games like chess, “merels”, dice, and other games. Kids had to use their imagination to keep entertained…

28 THE END HISTORY NOTES