1. By, Mark Rowley And Xavier Leong-Hussey

2.  Manorialism is a system where a lord has complete control over the manor and serfs.  A manor is a piece of land given to a lord, which usually includes a manor house for the lord’s family to live in, a church, homes for serfs, a mill, and a blacksmith shop.

3.  Serfs were the lowest class of society who worked on manors.  Serfs were bound to the land, unpaid, and could not be bought or traded.  Unlike peasants, serfs were bound to the manors.

4.  The lord of the manor received an income because some serfs paid to use his land and some worked on his land and gave him part of their crops.  Serfs either paid for their part of land and got to keep their crops or worked and got to keep some crops and had a place to live.  The barter system was used instead of money.

5.  The king or monarch was at the top of the system.  Next were the lords who controlled serfs, but had to pay the king for the land with crops and services.  Knights protected the lord and manor in exchange for rewards and titles.  At the bottom were the serfs. They worked the land for some money and protection.

6.  Everyone benefited in some way and were rewarded for their work.  Everyone had some sort of employment or occupation.

7.  Life was hard and short for serfs.  There was no trade or cultural diffusion because everything needed was made in the manor.

8.  Money replaced the barter system.  Industry grew.  Towns were formed and peasants left manors.

9.  Alchin, Linda. “Manorialism.” www.middle- ages.org.uk. N.p., 20 Sept. 2006. Web. 20 Feb. 2010..  Magar, Prashant. “Feudalism and Manorialism.” www.buzzle.com. N.p., 21 July 2009. Web. 20 Feb. 2010..  Trueman, Chris. “Medieval Manor Houses.” www.historylearningsite.co.uk. N.p., 2000. Web. 20 Feb. 2010..