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FEUDALISM
PART I
N1: What was government like in Europe during the Middle Ages? Who ruled and kept order?
SPIRIT 1: After the Western Roman Empire collapsed, there were many small Germanic Kingdoms. There was also
widespread disorder. In the early 800sAD, Charlemagne temporarily reunited much of central Europe in the
Carolingian Empire. But after Charlemagne’s death, his empire was divided into three pieces, and soon these pieces
also disintegrated.
SPIRIT 2: Within 100 years after his Charlemagne’s death, organized large-scale government disappeared again.
SPIRIT1: By the 900s, most Europeans were governed by small, local independent leaders, most often by local
lords. This type of political organization is called feudalism.
N2? What is feudalism?
SPIRIT2: Feudalism was a system of decentralized government based on the relationship between Lords and
Vassals, in which a Lord granted land (called a fief) to a Vassal in exchange for military service, or some other kind
of service.
N2: What was a “Lord”?
SPIRIT1: A Lord was a noble who granted land, called a fief, to a Vassal. A Lord himself might also be a Vassal to
someone above him in the social system.
N1: Did the Vassal own the land granted to him by the Lord?
SPIRIT2: No. Technically, ownership of the land remained with the Lord, and the Vassal was entitled to use the
land to maintain himself and his household. The Vassal also usually had the right to control the land and govern the
people.
N1: What was a “Vassal”?
SPIRIT2: A Vassal was a person who pledged loyalty and military service (or some other kind of service) to a Lord
in exchange for land. A Vassal might also be a Lord to someone under him. The Lords and Vassals were loosely
arranged in what we call the feudal pyramid.
N1: What was the feudal pyramid?
SPIRIT 1: The “Feudal pyramid” was a hierarchy that usually had a King or Queen (or that person might have
another title) at the top, Higher Lords (H.L.) under him, Lower Lords (L.L.) under them, Common Knights (CK.)
under them, and peasants or serfs (S) at the bottom. There were many variations, but it was basically like this:
King/Queen
H.L.
H.L.
L.L.
L.L.
L.L.
L.L.
CK
CK
CK CK
C K. C K
CK C K
SSSS SSS
SSS SSS
SSS SSS SS SSS
Let’s hear from the people themselves:
KING: I am the King. In theory I own all the land of my realm, although really my power is quite limited. I cannot
actually control all my land myself. So I keep a piece for myself, which is my “domain”. The rest I divide among my
Vassals.
N1: Who are your vassals, King?
KING: The Higher Lords are my vassals. I give each of them a large piece of land, called a fief. In turn they
promise me loyalty and military service. Their pledge to me is called “fealty”. There is a ceremony, in which they
solemnly kneel before me, place their hands in mine, and pledge their loyalty and military service to me.
HIGHER LORD: I am a Higher Lord. In different countries higher lords like me have different titles. Higher
Lords may be Dukes, Counts, or even Bishops. The King gives me my land, called a fief. I promise him loyalty and
military service.
(H.L. kneels before King and says) "I promise on my faith that I will be faithful to you,
my lord, never cause you harm and will observe my homage to you completely against all persons in good
faith and without deceit."
N2: Do you have Vassals also?
HIGHER LORD: Yes! I also have Vassals, and I am their Lord. I keep a piece of my land for myself, which is my own
domain, and divide the rest among Lower Lords, who are my Vassals. The land I give them is their fief.
LOWER LORD: I am a Lower Lord. Lower Lords have different specific titles in different countries. I receive land,
called a fief, from my Lord, and pledge him loyalty and military service in return. (L. L. kneels before the H. L. and
says: "I promise on my faith that I will be faithful to you, my lord, never cause you harm and will observe my
homage to you completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit."
N1: Do you also have Vassals?
LOWER LORD: Yes! I also have Vassals, and I am their Lord. I keep a piece of land for myself, my domain, and
divide the rest among my Vassals, who are Common Knights.
COMMON KNIGHT: I am a common knight. My title is “Sir ____”. I am a Vassal of a Lower Lord. My Lord gives
me a piece of land called a fief, and I pledge loyalty and military service to him. ( C. K. kneels before the L. L. and
says: "I promise on my faith that I will be faithful to you, my lord, never cause you harm and will observe my
homage to you completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit."
N1: Now, do you also have Vassals?
COMMON KNIGHT: No. I am the lowest of the Noble Class. The people under me are the peasants or serfs who
work my land. You see, in the Early Middle Ages, there were 3 kinds of people: “Those who fight” - that’s the Noble
class. “Those who work” - those are the peasants and serfs. And “those who pray”: those are the clergy--the
priests, monks and nuns. I am the lowest of the Noble class - those who fight. Below me are the peasants and
serfs.
SPIRIT 1: So in theory, there was a perfect “feudal pyramid” in which we have the King at the top, then Higher
Lords, then Lower Lords, then Common Knights, and finally Peasants and Serfs. In reality, it could be more
complicated. There might be no level between Higher Lord and Common Knights, or there might be several levels.
Also, a Lord could hold more than one piece of land and could be the Vassal of more than one man at the same time.
For example, a Higher Lord in England might also hold land in France. He might be both a Vassal of the King of
France and a Vassal of the King of England.
N2: If his two Lords should fight a war against each other, which side would the Vassal take?
HIGHER LORD: I take the side of the one to which I first pledged loyalty. The one to which I first pledged
loyalty is called my “Liege Lord”, and my first loyalty is always to him.
N1: This gets complicated.
LOWER LORD: Yes, it can be complicated. The relationship between Lord and Vassal is like a contract.
N2: With all these men below him, the King must be very powerful.
LOWER LORD: Maybe, but not always. The King’s strength depends on the loyalty of his own Vassals. The King
does not have a “standing army” of paid men. In order to fight, he has to call on his Vassals to bring warriors. In
theory the King’s Vassals are loyal to him. In practice, they are powerful men who may have ambitions of their own.
A Vassal rules in his own land. A King rarely interferes with the decisions that his Vassal umakes about how to run
his own business on his land.
N1: What happens when a Lord dies?
LOWER LORD: The land usually passes to his oldest son. Then the oldest son has to go to his father’s lord and go
through the ceremony of “fealty”, in which he pledges loyalty and military service to the Lord and receives the land
as his fief. The passing of the whole estate to the oldest son is called “primogeniture”. In the very earliest Middle
Ages, land was often divided among all sons, but this was found to be a bad idea. It weakened the estate. By
1100AD, primogenitor was the custom. Younger sons often become priests or monks, or tried to marry a girl who
would inherit land.
N1: I see. This is quite complicated. Did someone plan feudalism?
SPIRIT1: No one planned feudalism. It simply evolved because people needed protection and security, and there
was no strong central government. In the Middle Ages there was often a lot of violence and danger, and often no
effective central government, so feudalism just evolved.
Ch13, Sec 2
1. What was feudalism?
2. What was a Lord?
3. What was a Vassal?
4. What was a fief? What was fealty?
5. Draw a diagram of the feudal pyramid. Explain: King, Higher Lord, Lower Lord, Common Knight
6. What was a liege lord?
7. What was primogeniture?
PART II
N2: Are all of you - Kings, Lords & Knights - members of the nobility? Are all of you in the group of “those who
fight”?
COMMON KNIGHT: Yes! We are “those who fight”. The essence of being a knight is to be a mounted warrior, and
defend those below him. I am a common knight, but all of the members of the nobility (the male members, that is)
from the king on down, are also knights. We trained from our youth to fight. Each of us, at the very least, has a
horse on which to fight, a sword and spear, and armor. A knight must have a horse, or he isn’t a knight. The French
word for a knight is “chevalier”, which means a horseman.
N1: Tell me about horses, weapons and armor.
COMMON KNIGHT: My horse is a big war horse, a stallion, bigger than regular riding horses. He has to be, because
he carries me wearing my armor. I wear chain mail armor, which is made of small links of iron. Later Knights will
wear scale armor made of solid pieces. I also have an iron helmet and a shield. My sword is my most important
weapon, but I also have a spear or lance.
N2: How did you learn to be a knight?
COMMON KNIGHT: I began at about 7 years old, as a Page, and then graduated to Squire, and finally became a
Knight.
PAGE: I am a page. I am 7 years old, and I will be a page until I am about 14. At 7, I left my own home, and went to
live in the home of a close friend of my father. Here I am learning how to take care of armor, weapons and horses.
I am learning the skills of riding, and I practice sword fighting with a little with a wooden sword. I serve the
Lord’s family at the dinner table, learn good manners and all the values I need to learn to be a member of the
nobility.
SQUIRE: I am a 14 year old Squire. I will be a Squire until I am about 20. Then, hopefully, I will become a knight.
I am learning to fight and practice every day. I also serve a Knight. I go with him into battle, and take care of his
horse and armor, although I do not fight in battles yet myself.
YOUNG KNIGHT: When I became a knight, it was a solemn ceremony. I spent the night in the church praying, with
my weapons and armor on the altar. The next morning I took the oath of knighthood. I pledged always to protect
those weaker than myself, to protect women, and the Church, and never to fight unfairly, or to take unfair
advantage of anyone. In the ceremony, my Lord “dubbed” me, that is, he tapped (or whacked) me on the back with
his sword, and I became a Knight. The code of conduct of a knight is called “chivalry”. It is a great code to live up
to. Of course, many of us don’t live up to it. But many of use do try.
N1: With all these knights, there must have been a lot of wars. What were these wars like, and what was their
effect on society?
COMMON KNIGHT: Yes, there were a lot of wars. Many of them were small, private wars between Lords in a
region. There might be only 20 or 30 knights on each side. Sometimes there were larger wars between whole
countries. For the nobility, war was a way of life; it was what we were trained for. For peasants, it was a different
matter.
PRIEST: The peasants often suffered greatly during war. Usually, in the early Middle Ages, peasants did not fight.
The nobles were the ones who actually fought, but the Peasants’ fields were often ravaged and starvation could
result. So the Church stepped in around 900AD, and tried to restrain the bad effects of war. The Church passed
two rules, called the Peace of God and the Truce of God. The Peace of God said that non-combatants, including
peasants and clergy, should not be harmed in war. The Truce of God limited the days on which fighting between
Christians could take place. Originally the rule said no fighting on Sundays, but later it said no fighting ThursdaySunday, or during Lent, or on Holy Days.
N1: What was justice like during the Middle Ages?
SPIRIT1: It was a lot different from justice during the Roman Empire. It was often based on superstition. A
feudal trial was usually decided in one of 3 ways: trial by battle, trial by compurgation ( oath taking), and trial by
ordeal.
N2: What was trial by battle?
COMMON KNIGHT: Trial by battle was a duel between an accuser and the accused, in which the outcome of the
battle determined guilt or innocence. If one of the parties was a woman or for some other reason could not fight,
he or she picked a representative to fight.
N1: What was trial by compurgation?
COMMON KNIGHT: Trial by compurgation was basically trial by oath-taking. The accuser and accused each got as
many people as possible to take an oath supporting him. These supporters were like character witnesses. The side
with the most oath-takers won.
N2: What was trial by ordeal?
PRIEST: Ordeal was the strangest kind of trial. The outcome was determined by some kind of strange test. The
accused, or sometimes both parties, had to do something like carry a piece of hot iron, plunge his hand into a pot of
boiling water, or survive extended immersion in water. If the person’s wounds healed quickly and well, he was
innocent. If not, he was guilty!
8. Describe what a Knight had, and what he did.
9. Explain the steps in becoming a knight.
10. What was chivalry?
11. Explain the roles of the 3 types of people in the Early Middle Ages.
12. Describe the 2 types of wars in the Middle Ages.
13. Explain the attitude of the nobles toward war. Explain the affects of war on the peasants.
14. Explain 2 things the Church did to try to control wars in the Middle Ages.
15. Describe 3 kinds of trials in the Middle Ages.
Ch13, Sec2, cont. THE MANOR
N1: What about daily life in the Middle Ages? Where and how did people live?
SPIRIT1: Almost everyone in the Early Middle Ages lived on what is called a Manor.
N2: What was a manor?
SPIRIT2: A manor was a Lord’s estate. It included the land, the buildings and the people and animals that lived
there. It was self-sufficient economic unit. The people who lived on the manor produced or made almost
everything they needed. Often the only things they had to get from the outside were salt and iron.
N1: Who lived on the manor?
SPIRIT1: The people included a group of peasants or serfs, the Lord and his family, and usually a Priest.
N2: What buildings were on the manor?
SPIRIT2: The buildings included a cluster of peasant houses, the Lord’s house (which might be a castle or might be
a manor house), a Church, and often a mill, a blacksmith forge, a bake house, and a barn.
N1: What lands did the manor include?
SPIRIT1: The lands included cultivated fields, a meadow, a common pasture for the animals, woods, and often an
orchard. Many manors were located on streams that provided water and power for a mill.
N1: Tell us about the farming.
SPIRIT2: In the very early Middle Ages, there were usually two main fields. The first field was planted with a
crop, such as oats, wheat or rye, and the second was left fallow (empty) to “rest” and regain its fertility. The next
season, the second field was planted and the first was left fallow.
SPIRIT1: In about 900AD, people came up with a better system, called the 3 field system, and it was used
throughout the rest of the Middle Ages.
JACK: My name is Jack. I’m a serf here on this manor. I’ll tell you about the 3-field system. Our cultivated land is
divided into three big fields. We plant the first field in the fall with rye or winter wheat. We plant the second
field in the spring with oats, barley or peas. The third field we leave fallow to “rest”. The next year, we plant the
3rd field in the fall with rye or winter wheat, the 1st field in the spring with oats, barley or peas, and we leave the
2nd field fallow. We rotate the crops. Get it?
N1: Sort of.
JACK: The Lord has about 1/3 of each field for himself, and the other 2/3 of each field are for the peasant
families. The fields are divided into long narrow strips. Each peasant family has a long narrow strip in each field, on
which they raise the food for their own family.
N2: Tell me more about yourself. You said you were a serf. What’s a serf?
JACK: Yes, I am a serf. A serf is not a slave (we don’t have slaves on the manor) but not completely free, either. I
belong to the land. My master cannot sell me, but if he sells or gives away the land, I and my family go with the
land. I cannot leave the land without my master’s permission. However, my master cannot kick me off the land,
either. I have lived on this manor all my life and I will always live on this manor.
N1: What do you do?
JACK: I farm the land. Four days a week I cultivate the strips of land allotted to my family. I feed my family from
the crops I raise on our strips of land. Two days a week I work on the Lord’s land. I also do repair work around the
manor. I also pay the Lord fees at certain times of year. We don’t use money; I pay in farm produce, such as eggs
and butter. I also give 10% of my farm produce to the parish church. This 10% is used by the priest to feed
himself and the poor.
N2: What does your Lord do for you, in exchange for all the work you do for him?
JACK: Well, the land belongs to him and he lets me live and work on his land. Also he provides me and my family
with protection and security. If we are attacked, we come inside the walls of his castle or manor house. The Lord
settles disputes and keeps order on the manor. We will continue to live here in our old age, and if our children can’t
take care of us, the Lord and the Church take care of us.
N1: Tell use more about your daily life.
JACK: As I told you, I farm the land. I work very hard. During plowing season, I go out at dawn, and drive the oxen
to the field. I yoke the oxen to the plough. Every day I plough about an acre.
N2: What do you eat?
JILL: I am Jill, the wife of Jack; I’ll answer this question. Mostly we eat black bread, lentils, and some vegetables.
We drink ale. We have no plates, so we eat on pieces of stale bread called trenchers. We rarely eat meat, usually
only on Christmas or Easter. On the rare occasions when we do eat meat, it is usually pork. Our pigs feed
themselves in the forest, until it is time to butcher them. Our livestock help work the field, so we do not eat them,
and we are forbidden to hunt on the Lord’s land.
N1: What is your house like?
JILL: Our house is a simple cottage located in the cluster of serf’s cottages on the manor. It has a thatched roof.
The walls are made of “wattle and daub”. Wattle is made of woven branches, and daub is a mixture of clay and
animal dung with which the walls are plastered. We have a dirt floor. We have a table, several stools, a chest for
storage, and sacks of straw for beds. We have an open hearth for cooking. In the winter, we bring the animals
inside with us for extra warmth.
N2: Your life sounds very hard.
JILL: Yes, it is. Our lives are often quite short. Many women die in childbirth. Disease, famine and warfare take
the lives of many. But our lives aren’t all misery and work. On Sundays and religious holidays we go to Church, and
then we socialize. We dance, sing, tell stories and enjoy ourselves.
N1: When I think of the Middle Ages, I think of castles. Tell me about castles.
LORD JOHN: I am Lord John, the Lord of this manor. I and my family live in the small castle on the manor. Our
castle is the fortified base from which we protect ourselves and our serfs from attack. Like most castles in the
Early Middle Ages, my castle is made mostly from earth and wood with some parts made of stone. Later castles will
be made entirely of stone.
N2: Tell us more about castles.
LORD JOHN: Castles are often built on hills to make them harder to attack. However, my castle is on flat land, so
I have a ditch called a moat around it flooded with water. A drawbridge extends across the moat to allow entry to
the castle’s courtyard. If the castle is attacked, I raise the drawbridge. Inside the walls of the castle is an open
area, and a building called the Keep. The Keep is a strong tower. The lower part of the Keep contains storerooms,
workshops, and barracks. The upper story contains the great hall where I receive visitors and the living quarters
for myself and my family. The walls are thick and the windows are small with no glass, so the inside is quite dark
and chilly.
N1: What do you do on the Manor?
LORD JOHN: I spend most of the day supervising and looking after my land. I also settle disputes that arise
between my serfs. I am a knight trained to fight, so in times of danger, I fight and defend the manor and all the
people living on it.
N2: Do you have any things you like to do for enjoyment?
LORD JOHN My favorite pastime is hunting. Peasants are not allowed to hunt. Only nobles can hunt. I enjoy hunting
deer and wild boar as well as smaller game including ducks and pheasants. I use dogs for hunting as well as specially
trained falcons. In fact, my trained falcons are among my most prized possessions. My falcons wear a special hood
and leg coverings, and I wear a special heavy leather glove. When I spot a duck or pheasant, I take off the falcon’s
hood, and set it loose. It flies out, kills the prey, and returns it to me.
N1: What else do you like to do, Lord John?
LORD JOHN: In addition to hunting, I like to participate in jousts and tournaments. Jousts are mock fights
between two mounted knights, and tournaments are large contests in which many knights participate. Tournaments
might include a melee in which hundreds of knights fight in a mock battle. Jousts and tournaments give us practice
in fighting and keep us ready for warfare.
N2: Do knights get hurt in jousts and tournaments?
LORD JOHN: Of course they do, sometimes! And once in a great while, someone is killed, but that is very rare.
Even in a melee, which is the most dangerous type of tournament event, the goal is not to kill or wound the
opponent, but to capture him. If you capture an opponent, you get to demand a “ransom”, which is usually his armor
and horse.
N1: Tell us more about everyday life. What do you eat?
LADY ANNE: Like the peasants, we often eat bread and vegetables. Unlike the peasants, however, we also eat
meat. We drink wine or ale. Sometimes, especially during the 12 days of Christmas, we have large feasts, with very
fancy foods, and many courses.
N2: What do you do, my Lady?
LADY ANNE: I am very busy, with many responsibilities. I sew and weave, supervise the household and raise the
children. When Lord John is away, I take over his responsibilities as well. Sometimes I even have to defend the
manor when he is absent. As a lady, I am also expected to be able to sew, weave, play musical instruments and sing.
N1: How did you learn your skills?
LADY ANNE: When I was a young girl, I temporarily went to live in the household of a higher ranking noblewoman.
There I was trained in the skills and responsibility of a lady.
N2: Did you choose to marry Lord John, or was your marriage arranged?
LADY ANNE: My marriage was arranged. My parents provided a dowry, which included land. When we married, my
husband acquired control of my dowry. If he dies, I will regain control of my dowry land.
Ch13, Sec 2, cont. : ASSIGNMENT DUE Friday: Make a picture or 3-D model of a medieval manor.
1. What was a manor?
2. What people lived on the manor? What buildings were on the manor? What different kinds of land were
included in the manor?
3. Explain the 3-field system.
4. What was a serf?
5. What did a serf do for the Lord? What did the Lord do
for the serf?
6. Describe the life of a serf. What was “wattle and daub”? What did a serf eat?
7. What was a castle? What was the purpose of a castle, and what were its main features?
8. What were the favorite pastimes of a nobleman?
9. What was a joust? A tournament? A melee?
10. What were the responsibilities of a noble woman?