Upload
hubert-walsh
View
223
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The Feudal SystemThe Middle Ages
The Feudal System
Feudal and manorial systems governed life and required people to perform certain duties and obligations
Feudal system (feudalism) system of exchanging land for service
Origins of Feudalism
Originated partly as a result of Viking and Muslim invasions
Kings unable to defend their lands and the lands of their nobles
Nobles had to find a way to defend their lands
Built castles, often on hills
NOT elaborate structures usually build of wood, used as a place of shelter in attacks
Knights and Lords
Nobles needed trained soldier to defend the castles
Knights most important highly soldiers
Mounted knights in heavy armor were the best defendersBut its expensive! Had to maintain weapons, armor, and horsesKnights demand payment for their services
Fiefs and Vassals
Knights were often paid in land
Land given to a knight for service was called a fief
Anyone accepting a fief was called a vassal
A person from whom he accepted a fief was his lord
Got all that?
Feudal ObligationsLord’s Duties
Give land
Protect from attack
Resolve disputes between knights
Knight’s Duties• Provide military
service• Remain loyal
and faithful• Give money to
the lord on special occasions
Drawbacks to the Feudal System
Lord and Vassal
Europe’s feudal system was complex
Person could be both lord and vassal
Some knights with large fiefs gave smaller pieces of land to other knights created many levels of obligations
One knight could serve many lords
Drawbacks to the Feudal System
Fealty to the King
Almost everyone in the system served more than one lord
Everyone is supposed to be loyal to the king not always a reality
Some powerful nobles ignored their duties as vassals
Feudal rules can change depending on time and place
Medieval Power Structure
The Manorial SystemLords, Peasants, and Serfs
Manors owned by wealthy lords or knights
Peasants farmed manor fields
Given protection, plots of land to grown own food
SerfdomMost peasants on a farm were serfs tied to the manor
Not slaves but could not leave or marry without lord’s permission
Free PeopleManors had some free people who rented land from lord
Landowning peasants skilled workers like blacksmiths or millers
Also had a priest for spiritual needs