Feudalism

814: Charlemagne died

-followed Frankish custom of dividing land among sons

Feudalism

Carolingian Empire was split

Feudalism3 New Kingdoms of the Former Carolingian Empire:

1. West Frankish Kingdom

2. East Frankish Kingdom

3. Middle Kingdom

FeudalismInvasions began to disintegrate the former empire

3 main invading groups (map, page 292):

1. Muslims

Spread from SW Asia across North Africa

Occupied southern 2/3’s of Iberian Peninsula

Sent invaders into West Frankish Kingdom

Feudalism2. Magyars

Magyars raiding a White settlement. The Magyars were an Asiatic race who burst over the Danube river at the close of the 10th Century, ravaging wide areas of central Europe

Picture from: http://www.stormfront.org/whitehistory/hwr31.htm

Feudalism2. Magyars

Magyar raiders set

fire to a German

homestead

Picture from: http://www.stormfront.org/whitehistory/hwr31.htm

Feudalism2. Magyars

Moved into central Europe from western Asia during late 800s

Settled on the Great Hungarian Plain

Magyars sent raiders into Frankish KingdomsMaps from World Atlas.com

Feudalism3. Vikings (Northmen, Norsemen)

Map fromhttp://historymedren.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/%7Eatlas/europe/static/map16.html

From Scandinavia

-moved into Europe during 800s

-plundering the weak, trading with stronger groups

Feudalism-Vikings were superb warriors-they were also excellent shipbuilders and sailors-Vikings used their ships and followed rivers to penetrate into Europe911: Frankish ruler gave Vikings some land

-this encouraged further Viking settlements, trade, and many converted to Christianity, became part of European civilization

FeudalismThese invaders caused a threat to European civilization

-absence of a strong central government

People began to look for local land-owning aristocrats for protection

-needed to find a lord that would protect them

-in return people would provide labor and other services

Feudalism What factors helped the Vikings to

successfully invade Europe?

They were warriors and superb shipbuilders and sailors

FeudalismThis new social system became known as feudalism

-nobles offer land and protection in return for services

The Lord  A Serf

                      

FeudalismIn traditional Germanic society, warriors swore an oath of loyalty to their leaders and fought for them

-these leaders, in turn, took care of their warriors’ needs

This idea spread through Europe during the 8th century

Vassal: a man who served a lord in a military capacity

Feudalism2 Innovations led to the establishments of knights:

1. Introduction of larger horses enabled horsemen to wear heavy armor

2. Invention of the stirrup provided horsemen with stability to use lances

FeudalismPowerful nobles began to take control of large areas of land

Vassals were given a piece of land that supported the vassal and his family

-vassals were obligated to fight for their lord when summoned to do so

FeudalismThere was very little trade in Medieval Europe

-kingdoms were self-sufficient

FeudalismLAND was the most important gift a lord could give his vassal

FeudalismThere was a public ceremony when a man became a vassal -vows of homage and fealty

"Homage is the most honorable service, and most humble service of reverence, that a franktenant may do to his lord. For when the tenant shall make homage to his lord, he shall be ungirt, and his head uncovered, and his lord shall sit, and the tenant shall kneel before him on both his knees, and hold his hands jointly together between the hands of his lord, and shall say thus: 'I become your man from this day forward [of life and limb, and of earthly worship,] and unto you shall be true and faithful, and bear to you faith for the tenements that I claim to hold of you, saving the faith that I owe to our sovereign lord the king'; and then the lord, so sitting, shall kiss him.

FeudalismWhen a freeholder doth fealty to his lord, he shall hold his right hand upon a book, and shall say thus: 'Know ye this, my lord, that I shall be faithful and true unto you, and faith to you shall bear for the lands which I claim to hold of you, and that I shall lawfully do to you the customs and services which I ought to do, at the terms assigned, so help me God and his saints'; and he shall kiss the book.

-text page 293

FeudalismLoyalty to one’s lord was the chief virtue in feudal society

Fief: the grant of land made to a vassal

-vassals gained political authority within their lands

-they could even grant pieces of their land to their own vassals and become ‘lesser lords’

Many people became responsible for keeping order in Europe

Feudalism became much more complicated

FeudalismFeudal contract: a set of unwritten laws that determined the lord-vassal relationship

“The basic element of the feudal contract was an exchange of rights over land, given by the lord, for military and other honorable services, given by the vassal. While the contract was taken quite seriously, it was not in writing. Solemn promise was good enough and also made it more personal. But the fact that it was not in writing led to frequent quarrels over the exact duties and obligations which had been incurred. It should be obvious by now that these contracts varied considerably in terms of detail, if not in overall uniformity.”

FeudalismVassals main obligations:

-perform military service (about 40 days per year

-give advice to the lord if summoned to do so

-making financial payments on occasion

-knighting of lords’ eldest son

-marriage of lords’ eldest daughter

-pay ransom for lord if he is captured

FeudalismLord’s main obligations:

-grant land to vassals

-required to defend vassal

-either militarily or in court

Feudalism Why was land the most important gift a

lord could give a vassal?

Because there was little trade and wealth was based primarily on land

Land could be used to maintain the expense of being a knight

FeudalismWarfare was a constant part of Medieval society

Feudalism

Feudalism

Feudalism

FeudalismNobles formed an aristocracy which controlled political, economic, and social power

-knights had little to do except fight

-when not at war, knights began to have contests which became known as tournaments

Feudalism

FeudalismJoust: individual combat between two knights using long lances on horseback

-became the main event of Medieval tournaments

-tournaments were an excellent way for knights to train for war as well as to prove themselves

FeudalismMedieval life was very violent, and nobles administered justice within their own kingdoms, using a variety of punishments including many documented types of public execution methods

Feudalism

Feudalism

FeudalismChivalry: a code of ethics developed in 11th century among knights

-influenced by the Catholic Church

-knights took oath to defend the Church and defenseless people

-kept captives as honored guests

-were to fight only for glory and not for material rewards (power versus glory)

FeudalismChivalry helped lessen the harshness of the

warfare of the time, for emphasis was laid on the courteous treatment of prisoners. Even so, kings, and nobles were held for ransom when

captured, and the code of chivalry applied only between members of the noble, ruling class. They did not have to apply this code to the

common people under them.

Feudalism List three features of chivalry.

Knights were to defend the Church and the defenseless

Treat captives as honored guests

Fight only for glory

FeudalismMost women of this time were under the control of men

-but men were very often away (war, courts…) so “the lady” had to manage the estate

-control the finances

-oversee the food supply

-maintain all other necessary supplies to run the household

FeudalismVery few women were able to politically dominate their husbands

Eleanor of Aquitaine: very powerful

-married King Louis VII of France at age 15

-this marriage was annulled

-married King Henry II of England

-two of her five sons became kings of England (Richard and John)

-created a brilliant court in Aquitaine dedicated to cultural activities

Feudalism To whom were aristocratic women

subject?

Their fathers before marriage and their husbands after

Feudalism

Feudalism Feudalism:

Vassal:

Knight:

Fief:

Political and social system that developed during the Middle Ages in Europe, when royal governments were no longer able to defend their subjects

Nobles offered protection and land in return for services

Under feudalism, a man who served a lord in a military capacity

Under feudalism, a member of heavily armored cavalry

Under feudalism, a grant of land made to a vassal

The vassal held political authority within his fief

Feudalism Feudal contract:

Tournament:

Chivalry:

Under feudalism, the unwritten rules that determined the relationship between a lord and his vassal

Under feudalism, a series of martial activities such as jousts designed to keep knights busy during peacetime and help prepare them for war by honing their skills

In the Middle Ages, the ideal of civilized behavior that developed among the nobility

It was a code of ethics that knights were supposed to uphold

Feudalism Describe the benefits granted a vassal

under feudalism.

What was a vassal’s primary obligation to his lord?

Land and protection

Military service

Feudalism List the invasions that besieged the

Carolingian Empire in the ninth and tenth centuries.

Muslims

Magyars

Vikings

Feudalism What factors helped feudalism develop

in western Europe during the ninth and tenth centuries?

Collapse of central authority

Invasions by Muslims, Magyars, and Vikings

Feudalism Fill in the table below to show differences

between the systems of feudalism and empires.

Feudalism Empires Local Large political unit

Voluntary relationship based on feudal contract

Control usually obtained through military conquest

Many people responsible for keeping order

Control is usually centralized