feudalism & manor life
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Feudalism & Manor Life. World History March12, 2014. The Emergence of Feudalism. After the fall of Rome Europe was divided into smaller factions These small groups were unable to protect themselves from invaders - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
FEUDALISM & MANOR LIFEWorld HistoryMarch12, 2014
The Emergence of Feudalism After the fall of Rome Europe was divided into
smaller factions These small groups were unable to protect
themselves from invaders Barbaric tribes, the Vikings, and the Moors were
threatening to take over smaller cities & civilizations The idea of feudalism emerged in a response to
a need for protection This system is based on mutual obligations between
lords & vassals Known as a feudal contract
The lord promised to protect his vassal and the vassal promised loyalty and service
A Structured Society Everyone had a place in feudal
society Monarch
King & Queen Lords
Dukes or Counts Held the largest fiefs
Vassals Members of the noble class
Often times vassals had their own vassals
Means they could be both vassals and lords
Knights Members of the noble class
The warrior elite Serfs
The lowest members of society This made up a majority of the
population
Kings & Queens In the feudal age, the King
was at the head of society He owned and controlled the
land, made set rules and guidelines
The king collected tax money from the people This is how he gained most of
his wealth All of his land was divided up
and given to lords These lords could control their
land however they wanted to Includes making laws,
collecting tax money, raising a military, maintaining the upkeep of their manor
This made the monarch a “figurehead” ruler
The World of Nobles During the Middle Ages, many
nobles lived in castles They were designed to
withstand attack Also symbolized wealth and
power Noblewomen were respected
and valued in society When her husband was out
fighting, often the women would take over their jobs
Women were valued but had little rights They could not own land Would have arranged
marriages Would often come with a dowry
Had very traditional roles
Medieval Knights Knights had to be of noble
birth Many nobles trained from
childhood for an occupation as a knight They often went through
harsh and rigorous training Being dubbed a knight was
an honorable event As feudal warfare
decreased in the 1100s, tournaments became popular This allowed knights to win
land, money and popularity Knights adopted a code of
conduct called chivalry
Feudal Warfare Each manor operated
independently Had their own laws, economy,
produce, army Europe was NOT united at this
time Lords who led each manor wanted
power Land gives power
Resources Farmland People
Because of this, feudal warfare was very common Feudal Warfare = war or fighting
between the different feudal manors Knights would defend their lords
from invaders and other lords and their armies
Manor Life The heart of the medieval economy
Manor = lord’s estate The manor was self-sufficient The economy was based on mutual obligations
Peasants gave their lord a lifetime of labor In return the lord allowed peasants to farm for
themselves & gained protection Manors included…
A few dozen one room huts Water mills A small church The manor house/castle Strips of farmland
Peasant Life Most peasants on manors were serfs
Serf = peasants bound to the lord’s land They were not slaves who could be
bought of sold but they also were not free
Life was harsh They worked long hours Their diet was very basic, only what
they could produce They slept in 1 room houses with any
animals that they owned They could only work according to
the season They had to work hard in the warm
seasons and then find other ways to make money in the off season
They made up the majority of the population