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Feudalism and The Manor System Daily Life in Medieval Europe After Charlemagne • Europe was invaded repeatedly by 3 groups: the Vikings from the north, the Magyars from the east, and the Muslims from the south • Kings across Europe could not defend all of their lands, so they granted land to nobles • The nobles had to find a way to defend their territory Feudalism • Feudalism: the system of exchanging land for service • Over time the system became complicated as lords granted land to multiple knights and knights granted land to lesser knights, called villeins Defense Systems • Many nobles built castles that could withstand an attack • The nobles then trained soldiers to defend their castles and territory Knights • Most well-trained soldiers for defending a castle • Becoming a knight was expensive; knights needed to but their own armor, weapons, and horses • Knights often agreed to defend a castle in exchange for a piece of land • Nobles would grant knights a fief – anyone who accepted a fief was called a vassal Feudal Obligations Feudalism bound people together through professional duties • A knight’s duties to his lord: – Provide military service – Remain loyal and faithful • Took an oath of fealty, or loyalty – Give money on special occasions • A lord’s duties to his knights: – Give land – Protect knights from attack – Resolve disputes between knights The Medieval Manor • Usually owned by lords or knights • Since lords were too busy with feudal duties to work the land, they granted land to peasants • In exchange, the peasants provided the lord with labor and other services What Did a Manor Include? • Most of the land consisted of pastures and fields for crops • Usually there were 3 fields – a spring field, a fall field, and a field left fallow (empty) to improve the soil • The peasants would rotate the fields each year this system is called crop rotation What Did a Manor Include? (cont.) • Lords lived in a fortified manor house • Peasants lived in a village on the manor grounds • The village usually had a church, mill, and a blacksmith • There was often a bakehouse, pond, and orchard • The manor was built to be self-sufficient, people on the manor did not have to leave for anything