Life During the Middle Ages

Origins of Feudalism

• In Europe as part of a response to Viking, Magyar, and Muslim invaders.

• Kings found themselves with a need to defend their families and nobles

• Nobles built castles- typically located on a hill to provide shelter and defense during an attack.

Knights

• To defend their castles, nobles needed trained soldiers. (Most important: Knights- highly skilled, fought on horseback)

• Being a knight was expensive (armor, weapons, etc.) and therefore knights demanded payment for their services.

• Typically most knights were paid with land.

Feudal System

• Land given to a knight for his service was called a fief.

• Those that accepted such a fief were called vassals.

• The exchange of land for services is called the Feudal System (Feudalism)

Feudal Duties

• Lord and vassals had duties to fulfill for one another.

• Examples of knight’s duties: provide military service to his lord, fealty, pay ransom if lord is captured, etc.

• Examples of lord’s duties: fair treatment, not overly demanding of time or money, judge in disputes between knights, and to protect those attacked by enemies.

Feudal Complications

• Sometimes hard to distinguish who owed service to whom.– Person could be both a lord and a vassal at the

same time.– One knight could serve many lords– Rules may apply differently in different areas

Manorial System

• Medieval economic system• Built around large estates called manors.• Manors- generally owned by wealthy lords or

knights bound by feudal duties.• Being bound by feudal duties left many lords

unable to farm their land – peasants farmed manor fields.

Peasants

• Manor lords gave peasants protection and plots of land to cultivate for themselves as an exchange for services from the peasants.– Serfs- workers legally tied to the manor. • Not slavery, as workers could not be sold.• Not free to leave manor or marry without permission• hereditary

Free People

• Free people may also rent land from a lord.• Also may include land-owning peasants,

blacksmiths, millers, etc.• Most manors also had a priest to provide

spiritual needs.

Feudalism Simulation !

Explain the roles of …• Lords• Serfs• Knights• Vikings