Transcript Feudalism - Manchester Local School District

Middle Ages
 1100 years – from the collapse of the
Roman Empire to the beginning of modern
time
 4th – 14th Century
 Two dominant institutions
– Feudalism
– Roman Catholic Church
Feudalism
 The operating principle is similar to that
of the military chain-of-command
system.
 A king owned all the land, which was
then split up and given to great nobles
in fiefs (a feudal estate).
Feudalism
 In return the noble pledged loyalty
(fealty) to the king.
 In turn each noble divided the fief
giving power to lesser nobles known
as vasals and so forth.
Feudalism
 Serfs (peasants) were at the bottom of
the social ladder and were bound to the
land.
 Serfs were bought and sold with the
land totally dependent on the lord of
the fief.
King
 Lord
 Vassal
Lord
Vassal
Vassal
 Merchants
Tradesman

Serfs
Serfs
Lord
Vassal
Serfs
Chivalric Code of Honor
 A knight first swore supreme allegiance to
God – defending the Christian faith.
 He affirmed his loyalty to his liege lord.
 Uphold laws of the realm
 Bring honor through courage and fair battle
 Protect the weak/helpless –widows,
orphans, serfs, and all in distress.
Legends
 Legendary Tales – neither pure history
nor pure fact, but a narrative that
includes both elements.
 Not one correct story
 Usually several versions
Legends
 Reasons for legends
–Entertainment
–Celebrate folk/national heroes
–Pass on cultural values
Legend Requirements
 Extraordinary events are commonplace
– A hand holding a sword/appears in water
– Spells and enchantments
– Knights dueling for hours
Legend Requirements (b)
 Heroes and villains are clearly defined
–King Arthur = hero/ a model
character
–Sir Mordred = displays the dark side
of human nature
Requirements ©
 Episodic Action
– Focuses on different characters at different
points
– When a knight sets out on a journey a new
episode begins
Requirements (d)
 The hero starts a journey
– A quest – search for something
 The stories often become intertwined
– The plots usually overlap
– A new story starts before the last ends.
Sir Thomas Malory(1400 – 1471)
 Little is known about him except for his
prison record.
– Breaking and entering
– Plundering
– Extortion
 Malory was involved in the conflicts of his
time specifically the War of Roses between
the House of Lancaster (red rose) and the
House of York (white rose).
 Sir Thomas Malory teaches virtue and honor
by showing the difference between good
and bad.
 Good does not equal perfect, all characters
have some kind of human weaknesses.
Le Morte d’ Arthur
 Was written while he was in prison. He
finished his work in 1469 – 1470, shortly
before he died. It was one of the first to be
published on William Caxton’s newly
invented printing press.
 However, medieval tales often reveal
some realistic aspects of life in the Middle
Ages.
– Life was crude, barbaric, and even cruel.
– Fair play is often forgotten in the struggle for
power.
– Loyalty to the liege lord was put aside in favor
of gainful plots.
– Knightly protection was often reserved for
women of class.
The Church
 The church was also organized along feudal
lines.
 The Pope was the head of the church more
powerful than a king or emperor
 On the lowest rung of hierarchy was the
parish priest – most often poor and
uneducated
12 -13th Century
 Breakdown of the feudal system
– Guilds – trade unions of a sort, which took
control of all trades and crafts
– Workers began as an apprentice with a master
craftsman and after seven years were able to
open their own business and earn money
Middle Age Strife
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Battles among royalty
Religious Wars
Border Wars
Wars of royal
succession
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Bandits and outlaws
Thuggery,
Street fighting
Dueling
Crusades and Invasions
 England by the Anglo-Saxons = 5th & 6th C.
 William of Normandy = 1066
 Invasion of Spain by the African Moors =
711
 Counter invasions of the Moslem East by
Christian powers to the Holy Land
Crusades
 Seven Crusades in all – 1096 – 1270
 Pros –
– Longings for luxuries such as silk, spices,
perfumes, jewelry, baths
 Cons –
– Brought misery, plague and death
The Black Plague – Disaster strikes
between 1100 to 1352
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1000 38 mill.
1100 48 mill.
1200 59 mill.
1300 70 mill.
1347 75 mill.
1352 50 mill.
25 mill. People died in just under five years
Entertainment
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Falconry
Hunting
Horse racing
Tournaments – melee`, jousting,
swordfighting, stone throwing, hammer
throwing
Drama
 Church sponsored plays such as the miracle
play
 Comedy was added and changed the plays
to morality plays
Additional Entertainment

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Street fairs – Medieval fairs
Bear baiting
Hanging of malefactors
Burning of “witches”
Literature of the Period
 TWO CATEGORIES
– Songs and stories that sprang from the people
– Literature of the nobility or the literature of
chivalry
Authors of the Late Middle Ages
 Geoffrey Chaucer – Canterbury Tales
 Giovanni Boccaccio –Decameron
 Dante –The Divine Comedy
Age of Transition – vast changes
and momentous events ushered in
the modern world.
 The discovery and exploration of a new
continent
 The Protestant Reformation
 The Revival of learning
 The Growth of nationalism
 The rise of a merchant (middle) class