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Life in Medieval
Europe: A look at
Life and the
Feudal Hierarchy
8th Grade Social Studies
08-09
WHY WAS
FEUDALISM
NECESSARY?
A New Order
• Feudalism
• A political and economic
system in which large
landholders gave protection
to people in return for their
service to the landholder
• Filled two needs
– Peoples need for protection
– Landowners need for defense
• Lasted until around 1450
• orders of authority or
hierarchies developed
between different classes
The Feudal Hierarchy
• Monarch
• Lords
• Vassal
• Knight
• Guildsmen/Craftsmen
• Peasants/Serfs
• either a king or a queen which
was typically in power based
on lineage
• powerful noblemen and
women who owned large tracts
of land (fiefs)
• a person who is given a manor
from a lord or king
• a specially trained soldier who
fights for a lord and vassal
• men who learned from a
relative how to produce a
particular good for the manor
• poor farmers who work the
manor’s farmland in exchange
for protection
The Feudal Hierarchy
Freeman (Guildsman/Craftsman)
Serfs/Peasants
The Feudal Hierarchy
Vassals
Knights
LABOR
PROTECTION
Freeman (Guildsman/Craftsman)
Serfs/Peasants
The Feudal Hierarchy
Lords
LAND AND
PROTECTION
LOYALTY AND
MILITARY SERVICE
Vassals
Knights
LABOR
PROTECTION
Freeman (Guildsman/Craftsman)
Serfs/Peasants
The Feudal Hierarchy
Monarch
LOYALTY AND
SERVICE
LAND
Lords
LAND AND
PROTECTION
LOYALTY AND
MILITARY SERVICE
Vassals
Knights
LABOR
PROTECTION
Freeman (Guildsman/Craftsman)
Serfs/Peasants
The Monarch
• Monarch
• was a king or queen
who ruled over a
strong central
government.
• considered god-like in
their kingdom.
Feudal Lords and Ladies
•
Feudal Lords and Ladies
• considered to be noble
in Feudal Europe
• granted fiefs (large
tracts of land) by the
king or queen
• citizens were expected
to pay homage to the
lord and lady with the
Oath of Fealty
• in return the lord or lady
would raise an army to
protect them in times of
trouble
Lords
• Lords
• owned hundreds to
thousands of acres
• gained wealth through
rent, taxes, services
and food from
craftsmen and serfs
• lived lavishly in his
castle and met
regularly with his
court to discuss
issues around the fief
Lady
•
Lady
• dealt with the
management of crops,
animals and property
• ruled over hundreds of
employees and
servants
• served the manor as a
nurse since doctors
and surgeons were
few and far between
Vassals
• Vassals
• former knights who
paid homage to their
lords were rewarded
for their service with
manors
• each manor
contained a smaller
castle and the ability
to thwart enemy
attacks with certain
defenses
Feudal Contract
LORDS
GIVE
SERVICE
TO
GIVE
PROTECTION
TO
VASSALS
Knights
• Knights
• specially trained
soldiers who paid
homage and said the
Oath of Fealty to both
their lords and
vassals
• were given all the
same rights and
privileges as lords
Craftsmen
• Craftsmen
• people that worked in
each manor producing
goods for the manor’s
self-sufficiency
• had special skills so their
work was in high demand
• many lived in wooden
homes and had enough
income to support their
family
Serfs
• Serfs
• owned no land to pass on
to future generations
• lived in mud and stone
huts, sometimes wood
and stone homes
• gave most of their
harvests to their vassal or
Church
• men typically worked the
land or were called to
fight, while women
produced food and
clothing for their own
household
Comparing Serfs to Lords
Serfs
• Ate eggs, bread,
poultry, some meat,
and vegetables
• Wore wool and
animal skin clothes
• Benefited from their
beasts of burden,
selling some crops,
and bartering what
little they had
Lords
• Ate meat, game,
fish, pastries,
spices, and
vegetables
• Wore wool, silk,
and linen clothes
• Acquired wealth
from rent, taxes,
services and
products from
their fief, and the
prizes of
conquest.
Quick-Write Assignment
• Quick Write #11 : Based on your notes
describe why paying homage and taking
oaths, like the Oath of Fealty, would be
such an important part of Medieval Life.