feudalism and manorial ism

8/14/2019 Feudalism and Manorial Ism

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Feudalism and

Manorialism


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Vocabulary

Feudalism- Political system of localgovernment based on the granting ofland in return for loyalty, militaryassistance, and other services.

Fief- Grant of land given to a vassalfrom a lord.

Vassal- Person granted land from a lordin return for services.

Serf- Peasants who were bound to theland where they worked for a lord.


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Manorial System

Manorialism shaped the economy of much ofEurope.

For safety and defense, people in the Middle Agesformed small communities around a central lord ormaster.

Most people (lords and serfs) lived on a manor,which consisted of the castle, the church, thevillage, and the surrounding farm land.

These manors were isolated, with occasional visitsfrom peddlers, pilgrims on their way to the Crusades,or soldiers from other fiefdoms.

Ideally a manor was located along a stream or river.


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Manorial System

People who lived on manors neededto produce everything they needed,including food, clothing, and shelter.

Items such as iron, salt, wool, wine,and certain manufactured goods,were purchased.


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Manorial System

In return for being able to work theland, the peasants gave the lord someof their crops (taxes) and helped tofarm his land.

Land was often divided into three largefields for growing grain.

Only two of the three fields were planted atone time. The third field could lie fallow, orunplanted, for a season to regain itsfertility.


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Manorial System


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Feudal System

Feudalism provided social and political structureto the culture of the Middle Ages

The king awarded land grants or "fiefs" to hismost important nobles, his barons, and hisbishops, in return for their contribution of

soldiers for the king's armies. The lowest class of society was the peasants,

"serfs."

In exchange for living and working on his landthe lord offered his peasants protection.

Nobles divided their land among the lessernobility, who became their servants or "vassals."


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Feudal System

By 1100, certain barons had castlesand courts that rivaled the king's

They could be serious threats if theywere not pleased in their dealingswith the crown.

The medieval church owned vastland and had their own vassals


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Feudal justice

A feudal trial was decided in one of three ways: trialby battle, compurgation, or trial by ordeal.

Trial by battle- could be a duel between accuser andaccused (or their representatives) in which theoutcome determined innocence or guilt.

Compurgation- oath taking. The accuser and theaccused were supported by people who swore that theperson they represented was telling the truth. Similarto character witnesses in today's trials.

Trial by ordeal- could the accused survive a particularordeal. The accused had to carry a piece of hot iron,plunge his hand in a pot of boiling water, or surviveextended immersion in cold water. If the accusedperson's wounds healed quickly and well, he wasinnocent; if not, he was guilty.


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Trial by Battle


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Trial by Ordeal


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Peasant Life

Peasants worked hard labor jobs andwere heavily taxed

Children were welcomed as a source of farmlabor.

The peasants were not free They could not leave the manor without

permission. They were not allowed to hunt on the lords

land so they rarely ate meat. Serfs had short life expectancies due to

disease, starvation, and frequent warfare.


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Peasant Life


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Noble Life

Lords assumed the roles of judgesin carrying out the laws of themanor.

The lord spent most of his daymanaging and organizing his manor.

Marriage was viewed as a way to

advance one's fortune and acquirestatus and land.


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Noble Life

A castle was a fortified base from which thelord enforced his authority and protectedthe surrounding countryside.

In the early Middle Ages, castles weresimple structures made from earth andwood, later they were made from stone.

Castles were usually built on hills or otherlandforms that would prevent easy attack.

If a castle was on flat land (difficult todefend) a moat and drawbridge were built


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Life The keep was the main

part of the castle. It wasa strong tower that

usually containedstorerooms, workshops,barracks and the lord'sliving quarters.

A castle's rooms hadthick walls and smallwindows with no glass sothey were usually darkand chilly.


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Role of Women Women's rights regarding legal property were

limited.

A woman might have had fiefs in her dowry.However, when she married, her husband gainedcontrol over her dowry. In most cases a woman

regained control of the property in her dowry if herhusband died.

Women mainly performed household tasks such ascooking, baking bread, sewing, weaving, and

spinning. Occasionally they also hunted for food and fought in

battles, learning to use weapons to defend theirhomes and castles.


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Role of Women

Other jobs medieval women might haveincluded merchants, apothecaries, fieldworkers and midwives.

Middle or upper class women may havelearned writing, playing musical instruments,dancing, and painting.

Some women were known as witches,capable of sorcery and healing.

Others became nuns and devoted their livesto God and spiritual matters.


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Role of Women

Joan of Arc- Frenchpeasant's daughter whoheard voices telling her toprotect France againstthe English invasion. She

dressed in armor and ledher troops to victory inthe early fifteenthcentury. "The Maid ofOrleans" as she wasknown, was later burnedas a witch.


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Warfare Wars were common during the Middle Ages.

Most were private fights between feudal lords, or lords andvassals, and were local conflicts but a few were large-scaleevents involving entire regions

For nobles, wars were an opportunity for glory and wealth.

For most people of the Middle Ages, however, war was a

major cause of suffering and hardship. The church tried to limit the suffering caused by war by

prohibiting acts of violence near churches and other holybuildings.

The church also forbade violence against cattle and

agricultural equipment as well as certain types of persons,including clergy, women, merchants, and pilgrims.


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Warfare

Knights in the MiddleAges wore armor in battleand were heavily armed.

Armor was made of chainmailsmall, interlocking

metal links stitched to aknee-length leather shirt.

The knight would alsowear an iron helmet andcarry a sword, a largeshield, and a lance.


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Warfare

When gunpowderwas invented duringthe late Middle Ages,overlapping metal

plates replaced chainmail.

Plate armor was soheavy that knights

had to be hauledonto their horseswith cranes.


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Knight Life To become a knight, a boy had to belong to the

noble class and had to pass through two stages oftraining. Page- The first stage began at about the age of

seven. The page would learn knightly manners and how to

use and care for weapons. Squire- the second stage usually the boy was a

teenager. The squire would take care of the knight's horse,

armor, and weapons.

When ready, the squire would accompany theknight into battle. If the squire proved himself to be a skilled and

courageous fighter, he would be knighted in anelaborate religious ceremony.


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Knight Life

A knight's coat ofarms identified him

A coat of arms was asymbol that

represented hispersonalcharacteristics.

A coat of arms was

passed along fromone generation to thenext.


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Knight Life Chivalry was a system of rules that dictated

knights' behavior towards others. Knights were expected to be courageous in battle

and to fight fairly.

If a knight used tricks and strategy to overcome anopponent, he was considered a coward.

A knight was expected to be loyal to his friendsand to keep his word.

He was required to treat his conquered foesgallantly.

A knight was also expected to be courteous to

women and the less powerful. A knight was required to extend courtesy only to

people of his own class.


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