Feudalism in Europe

Chapter 13 Section 2

http://www.history.com/videos/the-vikings-raid-england#bet-you-didnt-know-vikings

I New Invasions Trouble Western EuropeA. Vikings: Raiders, Traders, Explorers

A. Vikings: Raiders, Traders, & Explorers• Vikings are from Scandanavia

o Germanic ppl AKA Northmen or Norsemen who worshiped warlike gods

• Attacked, looted, retreated before local troops responded

• Leif Ericson reached NA 500 yrs Before Columbus

• Warming trend in Europe made farming easierled to decline in attacks

• Adopted Christianitystopped raiding monastaries

Magyars & Muslims• As Viking invasions decline Magyars

begin– Magyars= nomadic ppl & great

horseback riders• Didn’t settle conquered areas but

captured ppl and sold them into slavery– Overran Italy reached as far as Burgundy

(France)• Muslims= excellent sailors controlled

Med. Sea & disrupted trade• Both caused disorder &suffering– No saftey + no ruler for power = local

rulers & local armies

II Feudalism Structures Society• Rollo= leader of Viking army• Charles the simple= king of France– Charles grants Rollo large piece of French land

which they called northmen’s land (Normandy)– In return, Rollo swore loyalty to Charles

A. A New Social Order• Manny alliances like that of Rollo & Charles

formed• Feudalism– Lord (landowner) grants a fief (piece of land) to

vassal (person receiving land) in return for military protection• Rollo= vassal & Charles= lord

• Feudalism depended on the control of land

B. Feudal Pyramid

King

Lords (Vassals) = church officials &

nobles

Knights (Vassals)= warriors pledged to protect lords

land in return for fief

Landless peasants toiled the land

C. Social Classes are Well Defined• 3 medieval groups– Those who fought= nobles & knights– Those who prayed= men & women of church– Those who worked= the peasants

• Majority of ppl were peasants who could also be serfs– Serfs= ppl who could not legally leave the palace in

which they were born• Serfs were bound to land but were not slaves

because lords could not sell or buy them– Wealth of feudal lords depended on work of peasants

III Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism

• Manor = the lords estate (property)• Manor system= the economic arrangement– Lord provided serfs w/ housing, farmland,

protection in return for serfs tending the land

A. Self Contained World• Peasants rarely traveled

any more than 25 from manor– Manor consisted of lords

manor house, church, workshops

• Manor was self-sufficient com.– Serfs & peasants raised

or produced nearly all they & their lord needed for daily life

B. Harshness of manor Life• Peasants paid high price for living on lords

land– Tax on all grain ground in lords mill• Crime to avoid tax by baking break somewhere else

– Tax on marriage• Weddings took place only with the lords consent

– After payments to lord, peasants owed village priest a tithe• Tithe= church tax (1/10 of income)

• Accepted harsh life because medieval Christians believed god predetermined someone’s place in life