1. The Middle Ages

2. The Feudal System
When William became the King of England, he made the Feudal System
The feudal system was based on three important principles:
- land
- loyalty
- religion

3. A Hierarchical System
In the Feudal System, there were four major social hierarchies:
The king
Greater Nobles (Barons)
Lesser Nobles / Minor Nobles
Freeholders and Serfs (peasants)

4. Roles in the society Ex:
Each social class had certain rights and privileges(Pathways textbook, p. 46)
Ex:

5. The king: William The king has absolute power
Anyone who disobeyed the king was punished harshly
This society was called a monarchy
The king gave nobles land and protection in exchange for loyalty military service and political consultation

6. William the Conqueror

7. Nobles
The great nobles, also called barons, were very high in society and exercised a lot of power, also called barons, were powerful members of society with significant power
They were vassals to the king and so followed his will. They also upheld their faith to the church which included helping to ensure tythes were paid by their subordinates

8. Nobles/Barons
Nobles (or Barons) were responsible to manage their land, called a Manor
They lived in the Manor house
The lord of the manor, or baron, managed the money for the serfs who worked the land
Nobles also showed loyalty to the king by fighting in his name in times of war and by helping to consult on political matters

9. Lesser Nobles

10. Lesser Nobles
Lesser Nobles also held positions of management and acted as knights during times of war
They were vassals to more powerful Nobles and as such managed land on behalf of the Noble they served
Lesser Nobles also had land rights and would profit from the harvest and taxes collected

11. The Commoners: Freeholders and Serfs
Commoners were had few rights and lacked any power
They represented 90% of the population
Freeholders paid a rent for the land they harvested
Serfs held no power and were considered property of the manor

12. Commoners
Freeholders and Serfs

13. The Feudal Contract
The most powerful social class in this system include : king, barons, nobles
Each class had rights and privledges. Power was held by rights to manage and profit from the land
Barons,nobles and peasants gave loyalty to the king and the king, in turn, provided land, protection, and legal counsel

14. Feudal System in detail:

15. Life and Culture in the Medieval World

16. The Manor The manor was a type of medieval community
The nobles and the lord of the manor lived in a large castle
The peasants (freeholders and serfs) lived in small houses

17. A Medieval Manor

18. Life in the Manor
The mansions were self-sufficient communities; that is, everything needed was there in the mansion and surrounding village
Farmers produced food by growing crops and raising animals
The church provided a Christian education to the village
The king and the knights protected the manor in times of war
YcHDQ

19. The Manor: A self-sufficient community

20. The Manor Village
Each manor had a church, blacksmith, bakery, tannery, well, common pasture, orchard, fields, housing and the main manor house
The manor house was placed by a river, which provided fresh water for people and animals
The village required proximity to a forested area, as wood was used in buildings and mostly as a heat source for warmth and for cooking
The fields and gardens of the manor were for the crops, but some lands (called "domains") were the exclusive property of the lords. These prime lands of the lords ensured their wealth

21. Can you identify parts of the manor?

22. Was Manor life a good life. For the Noble. For the Freeholder
Was Manor life a good life? For the Noble? For the Freeholder? For the serf?

23. Life in the Manor:
The roles of:
Serfs
Freeholders
Women
Men
Children

24. Serfs and Freeholders Uneducated
Had the right to leave the village when they wanted
They rented a portion of the land from a lord
They had no obligation to work the land of a lord and were not part of a Feudal Contract
Serfs:
Uneducated
Not free to come and go as they wanted
2-3 days of each week was owed to work the Lord’s lands
They were required to give a portion of their own harvest to the Lord
They ate from and sold the remainder of their crop
They were unable to become land owners

25. The Roles of Women -cultivated the garden
-managed (fed, protected, bred) the farm animals for milk, eggs, butchering
-responsible for weaving and sewing clothing
-distilled beer
-prepared meals
-preserved food for winter
-made the daily bread
-raised the children
-managed the firewood and the fire for warmth and cooking

26. Roles of Men
Farming: ploughing, planting, weeding, harvesting

27. Nobles The Lord and Lady of the Manor:
Had servants to help tend to their needs
Possessed rare and expensive items (eg hawks for hunting, horses, furniture, big house)
Could hunt for sport
Hired troubadours to entertain them with music, comedy and theatre
Owed payments and service in battle to the Baron of the lands
Were required to marry and have children in order to keep the land

28. Children No school, children worked as soon as they were able
Help with work on the farm, especially harvesting and sowing the land and with the endless household chores

29. The Legal System

30. Medeival Law
To solve problems, people in the Middle Ages held "legal trials" more or less similar to our trials todayMais la raison pour le procès ou «tribunal» était parfois bizarre
Ex: If rats had stolen food, they were hunted and tried in a court for their crime!

31. Bizarre and dangerous laws
Ex: If a cow died, there was an investigation to find out if the cow was killed by someone
To prove someone's innocence, they used two common practices:
- trial by ordeal
- trial by battle

32. Trial by Ordeal
It was believed that if the person was innocent, God will protect her from harm
The innocence of someone accused of a crime was tested by forcing him to:
-swallow poison
-remove an object of boiling water -marking on hot coals (hot coals !!)
-carry a piece of burning iron
If the person survived without a lot of injuries, he or she was declared innocent!

33. Trial by battle

34. Combat: to the death!
Only Nobles accused of crimes endured trial by combat
This process involved two nobles in a fight to the death
The survivor was pronounced innocent
A noble woman accused of a crime had the right to select a champion to fight on her behalf

35. Combat

36. Courts Trials were held in 1 of 3 courts:
1) Manor court (Trial by Jury)
2) Royal court or King’s court (Trial by Ordeal)
3) Ecclesiastical court (Church)
All crimes were treated harshly and in a court to fit the crime

37. Manor Court
Minor crimes and disputes were settled in the courtyard of the manor
Ex: Someone stole someone else's horse or cow
Ex: Assault
Ex: public drunkenness
Ex: minor thefts or other small crimes

38. Manor Court Most people from the mansion attended the trials
The witnesses were important
Fines were given to people who did not tell the truth
The people of the village decided who won the trial (as a 'jury')
A representative of the Lord, a steward, acted as a judge and delivered sentencing

39. Royal Court

40. Royal Court Royal courts dealt with serious crimes
-murder, rape, treason, burglary
-poaching game from royal forests
-cutting trees there or even deadfall
Royal courts used’common’ law, a term that referred to laws for the whole kingdom
Those found guilty in this court could be punished with death
Those executed had all property revoked, so the family of the accused would also pay for the crime

41. Church Courts

42. Church Courts
Only the members of the Church were judged in this court (ex: priests, deacons, bishops, clerics and religious monks)
The pope (representative of God) had absolute power
An accused could not be sentenced to death and punishments were often "lighter"
Sometimes an literacy test was given to the accused to prove that he or she was working for the Church (all members of the Church could read and write)

43. Discussion What are the differences between the 3 courts?
Do you find the legal system of the Middle Ages fair or unfair? Explain
Compare this system to our legal system today. Is trial by ordeal or trial by battle fair and ethical ways to prove someone's innocence or to punish someone who is guilty?

44. The Influence of Religion

45. Religion in Medieval Society
Most European people during the Middle Ages practiced Christianity
Christianity of the Middle Ages came from the Catholic Church (Catholicism)
The society was based on Christian (Catholic) principles:
Ex: If you were a good person in life, you would have success, be blessed by God and go to heaven. But if you were a bad person in life, you would be judged by God and go to Hell for eternity

46. Christianity in the Middle Ages
All good or bad acts were attributed to the hand of God (Ex: sickness, drought, attack, etc.)
Religious ceremonies and Saints were very important and symbolic for the medieval people
(Which Saints are still honored today?)

47. The Catholic Church
The Church had great power over people's lives because it was in charge of every important event!
-marriages
burials
-the courts (ecclesiastical court)
The Church collected the taxes (tythe) from thecitizens; 10% of each person's income (in cash or crops)
Some priests became very rich with this system and did not distribute the income fairly

48. The Power of the Church

49. Religious Education
Men and women who became monks and nuns in the Church dedicated their lives to prayer, religious study and abstenance

50. Discussion
Give examples that show that the Church was at the center of people's lives in the Middle Ages
Do you think that the Church has had a positive or negative influence on medieval society? Explain
Why do you think people have chosen to live in monasteries and convents? If you lived in the Middle Ages, would you do it? Why or why not?

51. Economy and Technology
The economy of the Middle Ages was based mainly on agriculture, fishing and hunting
Craftsmen and merchants also played an important role in the trade

52. The Market The development of the villages gave rise to markets
Farmers worked their crops and then the harvest to merchants who also sold fruits, grains, vegetables and meat to from surrounding farms

53. The Medieval Market
In the market, craftsmen sold wood, stone and iron products (eg tools and technical equipment)
Other merchants sold cakes, bread, herbs and spice, clothes and decorative objects

54. Technology
Several inventions facilitated fieldwork and advanced agriculture and people's daily lives

55. Technological Advances
Some examples of technological advances in the Middle Ages are: mill, plows, farmer's tools (shovels, spades and axes) and knights' armor (swords, shields etc.)

56. Questions Explain the economy of the Middle Ages.
What were the main industries?
What could we buy at the medieval market?
What new technologies or inventions were found in the Middle Ages?
Discuss the differences between medieval "technology" and today's technology.