Transcript Feudalism in Europe

Feudalism in Europe
Chapter 13 Section 2
Pg. 322
But First….
 Who overran the western half of the Roman Empire in the 400s?
 Germanic tribes
 Why did new languages evolve from Latin?
 Germanic language mixed with Latin
 Who converted to Christianity and had 3000 warriors convert as well?
 Clovis
 The former Roman province of Gaul is now?
 France
 Why was Charles Martel’s victory at the Battle of Tours so important?
 It saved Christianity in Europe
 What did the Treaty of Verdun do?
 Split the Empire in 3
After the Treaty of Verdun, Charlemagne's 3
grandsons broke up the kingdom further
Part of the territory becomes battleground for
attacks on Europe
This leads to a rise in feudalism: military and
political system based on land ownership and
personal loyalty
Invasions
Between 800-1000, invasions destroy the
Carolingian empire
Muslims invade from the south
Magyars invade from the east
Vikings attack from the north
 Vikings
INVASIONS!
Magyars
 Muslims
Viking Invasions
 From
cold northern
Scandinavia
 Most dreaded
attackers
 Worship warlike gods
 Carried raids at fast
speeds- strike, then
set out to sea before
local troops could
arrive
Vikings
Used swords and heavy wooden shields
Built amazing boats
Boats could carry 300 men, 72 oars, weigh
20 tons and sail in 3ft of water
Would use shallow streams to loot villages
and monasteries
Were not just warriors, also were traders,
farmers and explorers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwaSSVOPwSE&feature=related
Viking Boats
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=judc
MBpu-AY
Leif Ericson
Most famous Viking
Most likely reached
North America around
1000- about 500 years
before Christopher
Columbus
Viking Invasions End
Around the same time Leif Ericson reached the
Americas Viking terror faded
Vikings gradually accepted Christianity and
stopped raising monasteries
A warming trend in Europe made farming
easier in Scandinavia, so many didn’t adopt the
Viking seafaring way of life
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIvJ2P
0giVc&list=UUAiABuhVSMZJMqyv4Ur5XqA
Magyars Invasion
After Viking invasion
Invade from east in late 800s
Like earlier Huns, they
terrorize Germany and Italy
Great on horseback, nomads
Didn’t settle conquered land
Captured people to sell as
slaves
Attack isolated villages and
monasteries
Overrun northern Italy
Muslim Invasions
Muslims come from the south
Seized Sicily, raided Italy
Sacked Rome in 846
Controlled the Mediterranean
Sea and disrupted trade and
were excellent sailors
Were vengeful- goal was to
plunder land, since they failed
at conquering the land in 600
and 700s
Living in Fear
Invasions of Vikings, Magyars and Muslims
caused disorder and suffering
Europeans lived in fear and constant danger
Central authority proved powerless
Many turned to local leaders with their own
armies
How It Began…
In 911, two former enemies faced each other in a
peace ceremony. Rollo was the head of the Viking
army and had been plundering the rich Seine River
Valley for years. Charles the Simple was the king of
France but held little power. Charles granted the
Viking leader a huge piece of French territory,
becoming known as Normandy. In return, Rollo
placed his hands between the king’s hands and swore
a pledge of loyalty.
A New Social Order
Worst years of invaders attacks were 850-950.
During this time, rulers and warriors made
similar agreements in many parts of Europe
The system of governing and landholding called
feudalism had emerged in Europe
Feudal System
Based on mutual obligations
A lord (landowner) granted land called a fief in
exchange for military protection and other
services
Person receiving the fief was a vassal
So, Charles the Simple was the lord, and Rollo
would have been the vassal
Feudalism
(the pyramid)
-The king-
1
-Claimed ownership of
land
2
-Lord
(Noble)-
-Could gain
land from
King
-Could give
and control
land he got
-Peasant-
4
-Worked the land for
little pay
-Bottom of the
pyramid
-Granted land to Lords
(nobles)
-Gave land to vassals if
they fought for him
3
-Knight-Was granted land
by Lord (Noble)
-Could live on land
as long as they
fought for the
lord
The feudal system didn’t always work so simply
Relationships between lords and vassals weren’t
always clear cut
The same noble might be a vassal to several
different lords
Lords and vassals tried to use relationships to
their own advantage
Social Classes
Status determined a person’s prestige and power
People were placed into 3 groups:
1) Those who fought- nobles and knights
2) Those who prayed- men and women of
church
3) Those who worked- the peasants
Social class was usually inherited
Serfs
Majority of people in Europe were peasants
Most peasants were serfs
Serfs were people who couldn’t lawfully leave
the place where they were born
Even though they were bound to the land, they
were not slaves
Lords could not buy or sell them
Manor
The manor was the lord’s estate
The manor system was the basic economic
arrangement
Lord provided the serfs and peasants with
housing, strips of farmland and protection from
bandits
Life on the Manor
Serfs tended the lord’s land, cared for his
animals and maintained the estate
Peasant women shared the duties with her
husband
Owed the lord certain duties like working 3-4
days, and portions of their grain
Rare for peasants to travel more than 25 miles from
manor in lifetime!
A manor usually covered a few square miles of land
Consisted of the lord’s manor house, a church and
workshops
15-30 families lived in the village on the manor
Fields, pastures and forests surrounded the village
Map of a Manor
Self Sufficient Manor
Everything needed for daily life was produced on the
manor:
*crops
*fuel
*cloth
*leather goods
*lumber
The only outside purchases were salt, iron and
a few unusual objects like millstones- stones
used to grind flour
Peasant Life on the Manor
Since it was considered a privilege to live on the
manor, peasants paid a high price
Paid a tax on all grain ground on the lord’s mill
Was considered a crime to avoid paying taxes
Paid a tax on marriage- weddings could only take
place with the lord’s consent
All peasant families had to pay a tithe (church tax) to
the village priest (10% of income)
Serfs and peasants lived in cottages with only 1
or 2 rooms
Would warm their dirt floor by bringing pigs
inside
Families would huddle together on pile of straw
crawling with insects to stay warm
Simple Diet
Peasant diets consisted of:
*vegetables
*coarse brown bread
*grain
*cheese
*soup
Serfs accepted their way of life, and viewed it as part
of church teachings
Believed God determined a person’s place in society