Medieval Life was based on feudalism and the manorial system Chapter 7, Section 2

1. Medieval Life was based on feudalism and the manorial systemChapter 7, Section 2 Feudalism is the way of life for most of Europe by the 900s. Feudalism: a political system in which kings and powerful nobles grant land to other nobles in return for loyalty, military assistance, and services.

2. Feudalism • Arose from the absence of a strong central government. Nobles decided to govern their own lands. • Wealthy nobles let less wealthy people use their land in return for support (military, politics, etc). • The lord has land, the vassal gets to use the land, and the land itself is called a fief. • Fiefs are hereditary and lords could own more than one. • Both the King and the Church had feifdoms—the King’s real power lay in how many fiefs he controlled. . • Essentially a government and military system.

4. Feudal Relationships • 3 Key Points: 1. Extremely honorable relationship between legal equals. Only nobles can be vassals. 2. You could be a vassal to a greater lord, and still be a lord to a lesser vassal. (play both roles) 3. Depended upon personal relationships between the lord and vassal. Mutual obligations, but the vassal had more obligations to the lord than vice-versa (ex. Provide the lord w/ cavalry & soldiers, attend important events for the lord, pay ransom if needed.

5. Feudal Justice • Decisions made in 1 of 3 ways: • 1. Trial by Battle: the accuser and defendant fight; who wins determines guilt or innocence. • 2. Oath-taking (compurgation): Basically you call as many people as you can to stand as a witness for you and swear you’re telling the truth. • 3. Ordeal: The accused does a terrible physical task (carry hot iron, walk through fire) and if the wounds heal quickly you are judged innocent.

6. Feudal Warfare • Many, many wars and battles- often between rival lords (private wars). • The church tried to limit the amount of fighting • Issued the “Peace of God” decree: states that you cannot fight in certain places (churches, etc). • “Truce of God” decree: banned fighting on weekends and holy days. Added so many days that eventually there were only 80 days/year you could have a war on. • Neither was particularly effective. Private wars continued until the Kings became strong enough to actually stop them.

7. Manorial System • Basically, the economic system that worked with feudalism. • The large estate (manor) included the manor house, pastures, fields, and village. • Small fiefs probably only had one manor, but large fiefs had multiple. • Manors tried to be self-sufficient. Very few things were imported (salt, iron, tar).

8. Manorial System cont’d • Land was shared between the lord and peasants • Lord=1/3 of the land • Peasants=2/3 of the land; must pay the lord (part of their crops, skilled work like blacksmithing, taxes) for using his land. • A typical village had a water-powered mill near a stream, a cluster of houses, the manor/castle and three primary fields for harvesting grain. • Only 2 fields would be planted at a time, and rotated each year.

9. Peasant Life • Serfs: Most of the people on the manor; they were bound to the land. • Cannot leave without the lord’s permission (permission was incredibly expensive) • Cannot be sold; are NOT slaves. • Free people also worked the manor-usually as artisans. • Very poor diet for everyone: lots of beer and wine, cabbage, coarse black bread. No meat b/c animals were needed for the farming & you couldn’t hunt on the lord’s land. • Life expectancy was less than 40 years b/c of diseases and starvation. • Made it a very young society; can be influential/important by early 20s.

10. Nobility and Castles • Did not live in the stone castles most people imagine • Castles/manors actually made of earth and wood; fairly basic structures. • Built for defense, not luxury. • Placed on hills if possible; when they were on flat land, a moat was built. • The keep is the main part- basically a tower that held all the storerooms, barracks, receiving hall, and the family’s living quarters. • Marriages were made for advancement in society, not love. • Entertainment was infrequent, but mostly consisted of mock battles and tournaments (often led to serious injury or death).

11. Knighthood • Originally, any noble proving himself in battle could be knighted by any existing knight. Later, it became more difficult. • To become a knight: • Age 7: Become a page (knight’s attendant) • Learn knightly manners, fighting, weaponry care, etc. • Early Teens: Become a squire (knight’s assistant) • Continue all earlier training, but also begin caring for horses, armor, weapons, clothing. • Eventually, prove yourself ready for battle and accompany the knight. • Prove yourself in the battle, then finally be knighted in an elaborate ceremony.

12. Chivalry (develops in the 1100s) • Chivalry-the code of conduct for knights • Requires bravery (to the point of foolishness), fair fighting, loyalty, honesty, courtesy to women. • Generally improved the manners of early feudal lords. • Courtesy was only required to be extended to people of the same social class (not serfs, lower free people, etc). • Helped develop the tradition of carrying banners, shields, crests, and the family coat of arms.