Unit 2 Feudal Society

VocabularySerf

Vassal

Fief

Demesne

Tenure

Knight

Tournament

Page

Squire

Nun

Bishop

Priest

Abbot

Shell

Sword

Helm

Tithe

Culture

Harvest

The Vikings came from Scandinavia. They conquered the British Isles, northern France and southern Italy, and they founded kingdoms.

Journey to Normandy

Preparation of a feast

The Battle of Hastings

2 The feudal society and its origins The word Feudalism comes from feud (or fief). This is the extension of land which belonged to a king or a noble (the feudal lord), who could cede it to another less powerful noble who then became his vassal. During a commendation ceremony the vassal swore loyalty to his lord. He then owed him advice, military service and sometimes financial aid. The vassals could become lord. At the top of the feudal social pyramid, there was the king, considered primus inter pares (first among equals)

tollvillage

forest

crops

lord’s castle

mill

village

The Fief The basic unit of land holding was the manor (or seignury). A lord could hold one many manors. The land of the manor was divided into the demesne, held by the lord for his own use, and the tenures held by the peasants in return for rents or feudal duties. To maintain order and to defend themselves from enemies, lords relied on the military service of their vassals.

True or false? Correct the false information A fief or manor was a castleEverything grown on a demesne belonged to the lord.The lord gave the land to the peasants so that they could grow their own food.The lords allowed merchants to cross their land and bridges free of charge

Match the words and the definitions Serf fief vassal a. Land granted to a noble by the king or a higher noble. b. A person who received land from the king or a higher noble in return for homage and allegiance. c. A member of the lowest feudal class obliged to work for a noble.

LORD

VASSAL

economic aid

counsel

militaryprotection

legaldefence

sustenance

militaryaid

Noblewomen The most important function of noblewomen was to marry and have children. Marriage was arranged by parents.Noblewomen organised the servants, educated children and did sewing and weaving.Women who did not marry went into convents

Feudal society was divided into three orders:Nobles or lords: these were privileged members of society. They controlled the lands. They were the knights and their families. Their duty was to defend the population. They fought on horseback, and their weapons were the lance, the shield and the mace. Nobles sons started their military training when they were eight years old. They served as pages to an important noble and learned to fight. At the age of fifteen, they became squires and served a knight. If they proved their worth, about five years later they were made knights at a special ceremony

A knight’s armour

Who had a better life, noblemen or noblewomen? Why? 

The clergy. The Pope in Rome was the head of the Church and he had great influence, and he could excommunicate a king. Below the Pope the Church was divided into two groups:- the secular clergy ( bishops, priests,…) who lived in the secular world and ministered to ordinary people.- the regular clergy ( abbots, monks,…) who lived in communities in monasteries or abbeys and followed the rules of a religious order. Nuns and monks lived in convents and monasteries. They spent most of their time in prayer and meditation. They also worked in the garden and looked after the poor and sick. Some monks worked in the library, where they copied manuscripts by hand.

PopeSECULAR CLERGY

bishops abbots

priests superiors of convents and monasteries

friars, monks and nuns

REGULAR CLERGY

refectory: dining room

church

cloister

chapter house: a meeting room

library

guest house

kitchen storeroom

dormitory

garden

infirmary

Monks copied manuscriptsby hand. A monk might copy two

or three books a year.

parapet

moat

barbican

courtyard

battlements

towersmithywell

wall

drawbridge

tower of homage

walk

Peñafiel castle, Valladolid

Santa Catalina castle, Jaén

Activity: Name the parts of a castle

Peasants: they made up 90 percent of society. They often lived on the manor. They could be free (villain or freemen) or not (serf).

Serf: had a very hard life, they could not leave the fief or get married without permission. They worked in the tenures, paid rent, worked for free on the land ( labour or corvées). They had to pay the lords to use the bakery oven, the mill, the bridge or the wine press. They practised two-field crop rotation and used rudimentary tools to farm. Freemen: They could leave the fief and worked on the lord’s land and paid rent but they kept some of the harvest. They paid a tithe of the harvest to the Church

Peasants

1. forest 2. Lord’s castle 3. crops 4. mill5. church 6. house 7. tolls

Serfs or freemen? Read the statements and decided who they refer to They could not get married without permission__________They could make personal decisions___________They owed a tithe to the Church_____________They were not paid for their work__________They could leave the fief__________________

FreemanSerfs

The End

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