Transcript feudal lords - msmorganworldhistory

Boo
hoo!
Feudalism- loosely organized system of government in
which local lords governed their own lands but owed
military service and other support to a great lord
monarchs
Lords/nobles
(no picture available)
knights
peasants
Write this on p. 48.
The Decline of Feudalism
A group’s power may go up because of
one event but go down because of
another.
Any time a group’s power changes, feudalism
becomes less stable.
The decline of feudalism happened between the 12th and 15th
centuries. There were various reasons for its decline.
Angry noble
I. Political Changes
A. Magna Carta (1215) details
1. King John was forced to sign this because his nobles
were upset about too many taxes, rights that were being
ignored (his opponents were arrested for no reason)
2. in signing it, King John agreed to consult
his Great Council before issuing special taxes; people
couldn’t be jailed without a reason
B. Magna Carta & the decline of feudalism
1. rights & privileges of nobles protected
2. established idea that citizens had rights, freedoms that
even king can’t take away
3. Monarchs should rule with consent of the people they are
in charge of
4. Monarch’s power decreased; nobles, common people
have more power
There goes
my power .
C. King Edward I (King John’s grandson)
1. in 1295, convened a governing group called the Model
Parliament (same as Parliament)
2. included commoners, clergy, church officials, nobles
3. common people, not just lords, given a role in
government; power not just in the hands of rich people
Hey! I have
power in the
government.
Yeah, me
too!
A. Increased use of money
1. new business practices (partnerships,
insurance, bill of exchange) = more
people using money
2. feudal lords needed money to buy goods= peasants
fulfilled obligations to their lord by paying rent in cash, not a
lifetime of service
3. by 1300, many peasants were tenant farmers
B. The Crusades (attempt by Christians to claim the Holy Land
from Muslims)
1. Nobles needed $ for their trips to the Holy Land
2. peasants paid rents in $$, rather than grain & labor
A. Economic reasons the Black Death weakened feudalism
1. almost 1/3 of Europe’s population died (about 24 million
people)
2. trade, business almost stopped when plague hit Europe
3. once Europe recovered from plague, economy had to be
rebuilt (but without feudal lords having the power)
4. Need for workers high, but fewer workers existed since so
many people died
5. Remaining workers could demand more money, rights
6. serfs left manors, went to towns for better opportunities;
manor system & feudal lords’ power weakened
B. Peasant Revolts
1. after the plague, nobles tried to return life to the way it
had been
2. peasants resented this; rebelled
3. revolts occurred in France, England, Germany,
Spain, Italy
Uh-oh
A. Power Shift
1. feudal lords lost power; monarchs & common people
gained it
2. during war, French & English monarchs
collected taxes and raised large
armies
3. Monarchs no longer relied on nobles to provide
them with knights
B. New technology
1. longbow effective against knights
2. castles destroyed by cannons
3. knights & castles less useful; knights replaced by armies
C. Feelings of nationalism
1. before Hundred Years’ War, peasants more loyal to local
lords than kings
2. increased feeling of national unity, patriotism after Hundred
Years’ War (peasants had less loyalty to lords)
D. Peasants’ Status Increases
1. during war, forced to fight in army and pay more taxes
2. peasants who survived Hundred Years’ War needed as
soldiers, workers
3. common people’s influence & power grew (feudalism
less of an accepted structure for society)
I may have a swollen
eye from the war, but I
have more power and
value in society now!
Knights
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Event- Hundred Years’ War
How their life was affectedHow will the decline of feudalism affect this
person’s life?-
Peasants
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EventHow their life was affectedHow will the decline of feudalism affect this
person’s life?
Nobles
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EventHow their life was affectedHow will the decline of feudalism affect this
person’s life?
Magna Carta
creation of
Parliament
monarch
stayed the same
nobles/lords
Knights
NA
peasants/
common
people
NA= not applicable
increased use
of money
Black Death
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Hundred
Years’ War