1. THE FEUDAL AND THE MANORIAL SYSTEMS
FEUDALISM
THE FEUDAL AND THE MANORIAL SYSTEMS

2. Feudal System
Feudal system = the system of exchanging land for service
Developed out of the need for protection from invaders
People wanted land and protection, and there was no central gov’t (Rome had fallen)
Nobles could no longer count on their king for protection, so they had to find a way to defend their own lands
Built castles for defense
Early castles built out of wood, later castles built out of stone
Needed trained soldiers for their own private armies, the most important of which were knights

4. Knight = highly skilled and heavily armored soldiers who fight on horseback
Being a knight was expensive – had to purchase weapons, armor, and horses
Knights demanded payment for their services
Wealth was based on owning land – main source of income since there was little trade
Most knights were paid with land for their services
Vassal = person who owes military service to a lord who has given him land
Fief = the land given to a vassal for service

5. Feudalism
GIVES LAND LORDS VASSALS OWES MILITARY SERVICE

6. Feudal Obligations Idea of Vassalage
Vassalage came from Germanic society where warriors swore an oath of loyalty to their leaders
The relationship between a lord and vassal was made official by a public act of homage, such as swearing an oath of fealty, or loyalty, to one’s lord
This act of loyalty was at the heart of the feudal system
Feudal contract – set of unwritten rules that determined the relationship between lord and vassal
Both the lords and vassals had responsibilities

8. Responsibilities of the vassal
Owed the lord military service – usually 40 days a year
Must promise to remain loyal to lord
Helped to advise the lord
Certain financial obligations, such as paying ransom for a captured lord and giving monetary gifts on the wedding of the lord’s eldest daughter and knighting of the eldest son
Responsibilities of the lord
Supported the vassal with a grant of land
Protected the vassal against enemies and in court
Treat vassal fairly and not demand too much of their time and money
Act as judge in disputes between knights

9. Feudalism Gets Complicated
A person could be a lord and a vassal at the same time
Some knights were given large fiefs, which they in turn subdivided into smaller fiefs
They would then use these fiefs to get their own vassals
Many levels of subdivision and obligation
One knight could serve many lords
There was no law that forbid a knight from taking fiefs from different lords
If two of his lords went to battle, he had to choose which one to fight for

10. Everyone in a country was supposed to be loyal to the king
However powerful nobles (lords) found themselves as strong, if not stronger, than the king
Some even ignored their duties as vassals to the king
In their lands the authority of the king gradually faded

11. Nobility and Knights
Nobles dominated European society and their main concern was warfare
They formed a wealthy aristocracy with political, economic, and social power
Nobles were: kings, dukes, counts, barons, bishops
Knights became the dominate part of warfare
Held great prestige and the institution of knighthood united the nobility
Young knight, with no responsibilities, participated in tournaments in which knights showed off their skills, with the joust being the main event

13. Chivalry = ideal of civilized behavior among knights and nobility
Knights were expected to:
Defend the Church and defenseless people (especially women)
Treat captives as honored guests (ransoming other knights = money)
Fight for glory and not material rewards
Noble women could legally hold property, but they still remained under the control of men
The lady of the castle usually managed the large household, the estate, and the financial accounts
Usually when the lord of the castle was away, he left his wife in charge

14. The Manorial System
The feudal system was basically a political and social system
The manorial system was the heart of medieval economics
Built around large estates called manors
These manors were usually owned by wealthy lords and knights
These landowning nobles needed the leisure to pursue war and their feudal obligations – no time to farm
Instead peasants worked the lands of these estates

16. Manor lords gave the peasants protection and plots of land for themselves and their families
In return, the peasants had to farm the lord’s land, along with other services
Most of the peasants were serfs
Serfs = peasants who are legally bound to the land, the manor on which they serve
They were not slaves (could not be sold), but they were not free to leave the manor or marry without the lord’s permission
Serfdom was hereditary
Serfs worked the lord’s land, helped maintain the estate, paid rent, and were under the lord’s control
The manor lord also had the right to try serfs in his own courts

17. Land usually could not be taken away
Legal rights of serfs
Land usually could not be taken away
Responsibilities of the serfs were fixed
The lord was obligated to protect them
Most of a manor’s land was occupied by fields for crops and pastures
Half the land usually belonged to the lord, the rest the serfs and free peasants raised food on for themselves and their families and paid rent by giving a share of what they raised
Serfs and free peasants also had to work the lord’s land, and pay to use the lord’s pastures, ponds, and mills
Farmers left part of a field empty for a year so that the soil would be rested and more fertile
Developed the three-field system of crop rotation

18. Give land, protection Lord Peasant Farm the land
Each manor included a fortified manor house for the noble family and a village where the peasants and serfs lived
The goal was for the manor to be self-sufficient and to provide economic support for the nobles
Give land, protection
Lord Peasant
Farm the land