Download The Medieval Period *The Middle Ages*

The Medieval Period
“The Middle Ages”
USE THIS POWERPOINT TO FILL
IN YOUR NOTES
The Middle Ages: The Reality
 In reality, life in the
Middle Ages, a period
that extended from
approximately the 5th
century to the 15th
century in Western
Europe, could also be
harsh, uncertain, and
dangerous.
On the next slide, look at the map
of what a Manor looked like during
the Middle Ages…
Notice all of the different aspects of
the Manor such as of the:
- Manor House
- Village
- Fields
- Pastures
- Mill (for grain)
- Body of Water
-Roads
A Manor
in
Medieval
England
What
was it?
 A large estate owned by a knight or a
lord
 The lord lived in the large house
 contained pastures, plowed fields,
forest, a windmill, mill, grazing
pastures as well as crops and forests
 had a village where the peasants lived
 Home to 100 – 200 people
 Manors were self-sufficient meaning
they provided everything they needed to
survive everyday life.
Self-Sufficiency
 Each manor was largely self-
sufficient, growing or
producing all of the basic
items needed for food,
clothing, and shelter.
 To meet these needs, the
manor had buildings devoted
to special purposes, such as:
The mill for grinding grain
 The bake house for making bread
 The blacksmith shop for creating
metal goods.

Isolation
 These manors were
isolated, with occasional
visits from peddlers,
pilgrims on their way to
the Crusades, or soldiers
from other fiefdoms.
 This means that they
were all alone within the
surrounding area and
many miles apart from
other manors.
A Manor
in
Medieval
England
How was it
organized?
 Medieval society depended on the village for
protection
 A majority of people lived in manors.
 100 to 1000 people








Contains:
Grassy fields for grazing and other fields for
growing crops
Windmill
Village Church
Village Guilds (and other jobs) include:
Blacksmith, Tanner, Cooper (barrel maker), and
other jobs to help the manor function
Gardens
Woods for hunting and gathering wood for fires
Most buildings looked the same
Peasants living quarters – huts
Stop here and answer the following questions on your
answer sheet before continuing with the rest of the slides.
 What was a “Manor?”
 Who lived in the Manor house?
 What other people did the Manor estate include?
 Name 4 important things that were part of a Manor
estate.
 What did being “self-sufficient” mean for a Medieval
Manor?
 What do they mean when they say the Manors were
isolated?
A Manor
in
Medieval
England
What was
the “Feudal
System” or
Feudal
Pyramid?
 Feudalism was a political and economic system of
Europe from the 9th to about the 15th century
 -Feudalism was based on the holding of all land in
fief.
 -Vassals pay loyalty to those who have provided
them with land or services
The feudal pyramid is:
1. KINGS at the top
2. NOBLES served as vassals to the Kings
3. KNIGHTS served noble lords in exchange
for lands
4. PEASANTS did not own land, but worked on
the land as vassals (could be serfs or villains)
 The feudal system caused great arguing and fighting
over land and unequal share. Thus the word FEUD
that we use today
MEDIEVAL LIFE
KING
Loyalty
FEUDALISM:
POLITICAL SYSTEM
 Decentralized, local
government
 Dependent upon the
relationship
between members
of the nobility
 Lord and his
vassals
administered justice
and were the
highest authority in Food
their land
Military Aid
ECONOMIC SYSTEM:
LORDS (VASSALS TO KING)
Food
Protection
Homage
Shelter
Military Service
KNIGHTS (VASSALS TO LORDS)
Protection
Farm the
Land
PEASANTS (SERFS)
Shelter
Pay
Rent
 Agriculture the
basis for wealth
 Lands divided up
into self-sufficient
manors
 Peasants (serfs)
worked the land and
paid rent In
exchange for
protection
 Barter the usual
form of exchange
The Feudal System
 Under the feudal system,
the king awarded land
grants or fiefs to his most
important nobles,
barons, and bishops, in
return for their
contribution of soldiers
for the king's armies.
Nobles and Vassals
 Nobles divided their land
among the lesser nobility,
who became their vassals.
Many of these vassals
became so powerful that
the kings had difficulty
controlling them.
The Peasants
 At the lowest level of
society were the peasants,
also called serfs or villeins.
 The lord offered his
peasants protection in
exchange for living and
working on his land.
Hard Work & High Taxes
 Peasants worked hard to
cultivate the land and
produce the goods that the
lord and his manor needed.
 They were heavily taxed and
were required to relinquish
much of what they
harvested.
Answer the following questions about Feudalism:
 What is Feudalism?
 Fill in the Feudalism hierarchy pyramid on your
answer sheet.
 What did the Lords do in return for the fief/land
grants from the King?
 What kind of work did the Peasants do on the
Manor?
 Why do you think the Peasants stayed at the Manor
even though they worked hard and paid high taxes?