1. The Medieval Period

2. Social Structure King and Queen Nobles Knights and Vassals Commoners
Ruled over all of the land except for the Church
Nobles
Paid taxes to kings for favors and positions at court
Position of power over local villages
Knights and Vassals
Served nobles (militarily or otherwise) in exchange for land
Commoners
Known as peasants or serfs, did not own land, worked on the Knights and Nobles land

3. Decentralized, local government
KING
LORDS (VASSALS TO KING)
KNIGHTS (VASSALS TO LORDS)
Fief and Peasants
Military Aid
Food Protection Shelter
Food Protection Shelter
PEASANTS (SERFS)
Pay Rent
Farm the Land
Homage
Military Service
Loyalty
FEUDALISM: POLITICAL SYSTEM
Decentralized, local government
Dependent upon the relationship between members of the nobility
Lord and his vassals administered justice and were the highest authority in their land
MANORIALISM: ECONOMIC SYSTEM
Agriculture the basis for wealth
Lands divided up into self-sufficient manors
Peasants (serfs) worked the land and paid rent In exchange for protection
Barter the usual form of exchange

4. Role of Women Unmarried women had some rights:
Enter the convent instead of marry
Own property
Own small business
Women in higher classes had some political power
Married women gave over all their rights to their husband when they were married
All women worked in some capacity to contribute to society on the whole, jobs depended on social rank (run the home, give birth to sons, manual labor, etc)
Violence against women was common
Women were naturally sinful according to the Bible (story of Adam and Eve)

5. Feudalism The manor was the lord’s estate.
The manor system was an economic arrangement between a lord and his serfs.
The lord would provide serfs with housing, strips of farmland, and protection from bandits.
In return, the serfs tended the lord’s lands, cared for his animals, and performed other tasks to maintain the estate.
The manor was largely a self-sufficient community.

7. The Church
The Catholic Church was the only church in Europe during the Middle Ages, and it had its own laws and large income.
Church leaders such as bishops and archbishops sat on the king's council and played leading roles in government.
Bishops, who were often wealthy and came from noble families, ruled over groups of parishes called dioceses.
The Parish Priest tended to the sick and indigent and taught Latin and the Bible to the youth of the village

8. Characteristics of Medieval Literature
Romance
Tells of exploits of knights
Often a supernatural element involved
Christian message
concern with salvation and the world to come
only interest in spiritual change
Heroism
Beowulf
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Literature as moral lesson
loyalty to king
chivalry