Name: Period: Date:
Feudalism in Medieval Europe
Cinquain
Use the space below to write a cinquain about the first noun that pops into your head when you think about medieval governments. Share with your seating groups once you are done.
Do you think you would like to live under a medieval government?
Goals and Objectives
Students will learn about the development of feudalism and its effect on the political, economic, and geographic life of the middle ages. Students will identify the components of Feudalism and judge its effects on European society.
Feudalism
Name: Period: Date:
Who do you think these men are?
What do you think these men are doing?
Feudalism
Feudalism was a system of -__________ used in the
European Medieval Period.It was characterized as an exchange of loyalty and
________ service in exchange for land and power.
The exchange was solidified in a ________ known as
swearing fealty.This lecture represents
feudalism as it was supposed to work. In the real world it
was messier and less __________.
Why Feudalism DevelopedFeudalism develops when
there is a power ______ after the decentralization of an empire. In this case the
Carolingian.The system was an easy way for the _______ and nobles to retain their power with a
minimum of cost and ______.
Theoretically the ____ owns all the land, which he parcels out to his great nobles, who
divide in among lesser ______, who split into small
Name: Period: Date:
plot to be worked by peasants.
Please identify the most powerful person in the
Feudal system.
Why do you think he is the most powerful?
Many people visualize it as a triangle
The group’s location relates to their power level and
percentage of the population.
Who benefits the most from this
system?
The least?
The Feudal Economy
Economic documents including ______,
writs, and tax documents have
survived.
Vassal
Name: Period: Date:
Circle everyone in the picture who you think
might be a vassal.
The VassalA vassal was anyone not at
the top of the pyramid.A vassal would swear
______ to his overlord, either the king or some
other noble.The vassal would serve his ________, either militarily
or by preforming some other type of labor.
In return he would receive __________ or land.
Fief
Name: Period: Date:
What would you do with a fief if you had one?
A Fief
A fief was a tract of ____ given to a lord or noble by the
_______.In return the lord would
collect _____ for king and provided him with military
assistance if necessary.Often the lord would use his fief to support _______, who
would fight for him when called on.
Land vrs CashIn the feudal system power
is defined by land, not money or treasure. Give three reasons why that
might be.
Protection vrs FreedomA large purpose of the
feudal system was to gain protection. Hypothesize what it would be like to
swear to serve someone in exchange for protection.
Would it be worth it?
The Manor
Name: Period: Date:
What do you think some of the perks of living at a manor
might be? Remember odds are you would be a serf or
peasant.
The Manor
The manor was the major administrative ____.
______ were held there and the lords of the manor were
responsible for tax collection.Manors usually contained a
great house, a _______, and a church.
The _____ was the bases of feudal life. Some manors and the villages attached to them
became _____ which still exist.
The Monarch
Name: Period: Date:
What objects is this monarch shown with that symbolizes
his kingship?
The Monarch
The monarch ruled _______ from the top of the pyramid.Most ruling monarchs during
this time were _____, although a few queens
exercised considerable power.The monarch had extensive
contact with his _____ vassals. Many were related to
him by either blood or ________.
The lives and habits of kings were the best documented of
the period. Objects like _________ accounts tell us what the king was spending
his money on.
The Lords
Name: Period: Date:
What leisure activity do you think these lords are
participating in?
Why would they?
The Lords
The lords were the next step down from the _______.They lived at the manors,
dispensed the king's _______, collected his taxes, and ruled
the _____ or peasants.When the kings required they
were forced to render him military _______, or pay a
fine.
Monarchs and Lords Take a moment to explain the relationship between the monarch
and his lords.
Discuss reasons that relationship might break down with your seating groups what the nobles might have done if it
did.
Name: Period: Date:
The Serfs
Behind the Serfs in this picture is a castle, owned by a
lord.What do you think the serfs
houses were like?
The SerfsThe people at the ______ of
the triangle were the serfs and peasants.
Serfs were tied to their ______ for life, while peasants could move if they wanted to and paid some form of ____ for
the use of land.In exchange for serving their
lord, usually by _______, they received protection from the
lord and his _______.Since serfs had little or no
Name: Period: Date:
_________ few sources discuss what being a serf was
like.
At this point I want to complete the triangle diagram. Work together with you seating groups.
Name: Period: Date:
Once you have completed your triangle you will be critiquing feudalism by answering the question...
Would the people of Medieval Europe been better off with or without feudalism?
Use at least three arguments when answering your question.
Use the back of these notes
____What was given:What was recived:
_____ & _______What was given:What was recived:
_____What was given:What was recived:
Name: Period: Date:
Sources
http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/sbook1i.asp#Feudalism
http://englishversion.smartencyclopedia.eu/index.php/politics/93-feudalism
http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/feudal.html
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/feudalism.htm
http://www.buildinghistory.org/manors.shtml