Transcript Feudalism in Europe

Feudalism in
Europe
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Chapter 13
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Section 2
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Pages 322-326
Terms to know:
Lord
 Fief
 Vassal
 Knight
 Serf
 Manor
 Tithe
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Main Idea
 Feudalism
in Europe was a
system of political alliances and
protective military relationships.
 The rights and duties of feudal
relationships helped shape
today’s forms of representative
government.
New Invasions Trouble Western
Europe
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Carolingian Empire destroyed
between 800-1000.
 Muslims seize Sicily and raid Italy,
they sack Rome in 846.
 Magyar invaders attack Italy and
Germany.
 Vikings attack the south.
Vikings: Raiders, Traders , and
Explorers
– Germanic people
from Scandinavia.
 They worship warlike gods.
 Nicknames:
 Eric Bloodaxe
 Thorfinn Skullsplitter
 Norsemen
Vikings
 Strike
fast and retreat to sea.
 Largest warships held 300, used
72 oars.
 Ships might weigh 20 tons, but
could sail in 3 feet of water.
Vikings
 Not
just warriors, but farmers and
explorers.
 Down rivers to central Russia.
 To Constantinople.
 Across the North Atlantic.
Leif Ericson
Reached North
America around 1000.
 500 years before
Columbus.
 Son of Erik the Red.
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Viking terror fades as…..
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Vikings accept Christianity.
Warming trend in Europe makes farming
in Scandinavia easier.
Agricultural settlements in Greenland and
Iceland prosper.
Magyars
 Nomadic people from what is
now Hungary.
 Superb Horsemen.
 Invade western Europe in the
800s
 They capture people to sell as
slaves.
 They DON’T settle conquered
lands.
Muslims
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Struck form the south.
Controlled the Mediterranean, disrupted
trade.
Tried to conquer and settle Europe in the
600s and 700s.
Excellent sailors, they attacked as far
inland as Switzerland.
Result of Invasions:
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Europeans live in constant danger.
Central authority proved powerless.
People look to local leaders with their own
armies.
Strong local leaders gain followers and
political strength.
Feudalism Structures Society
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In 911, former enemies meet in a peace
ceremony
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Rollo - a Viking chief
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And
Charles the Simple – King of France.
Details of the Peace
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Charles grants Rollo a large section of
France.
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It becomes known as Northmen’s land, or
Normandy.
Rollo swears a pledge of loyalty.
Roland swears
fealty to
Charlemagne.
A New Social Order
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Feudalism – a system based on mutual
obligations.
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Lord = landowner who grants land.
Fief = land granted by a lord.
Vassal = receives the fief from the lord in
exchange for loyalty and military service to
the lord.
The Feudal Pyramid
King
 Most powerful vassals
 Nobles and Bishops (wealthy landowners)
 Knights – mounted warriors
 Landless peasants who work in the fields.
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Feudalism
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Often got complex
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A noble might be vassal to several different
lords.
Social Classes Well Defined
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People classed into 3 groups:
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Those who fought - Nobles and Knights.
Those who prayed – Men and women of the
Church.
Those who worked – Peasants.
Serfs
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People who could not lawfully leave the
place where they were born.
The vast majority of people in Europe
during the Middle Ages were serfs.
They are bound to the land, but are not
slaves. They could not be bought or sold
by the lord.
Manors
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The lord’s estate.
Lords provide serfs with housing, strips of
farmland and protection from bandits.
Serfs tend the land, care for animals, and
maintained the estate.
Serf women work with their husbands.
Serfs owe their labor and a part of their
grain to the lord.
Manor Life
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Peasants rarely traveled more than 25
miles.
Manors consist of:
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Manor house
Church
Workshops
15 - 30 families.
Fields, pastures, and forest surround the
village. Streams and ponds provide fish.
Manor Life
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A self-sufficient community.
Serfs produce:
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Crops
Fuel
Cloth
Leather Goods
Lumber
Manor Life
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Peasants pay a taxes
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To live on the lord’s land.
On grain ground at the lord’s mill.
On marriage.
Tithes to the Church were collected after
taxes were paid.
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Tithes are one-tenth of income.
Serf Life
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Live in crowded cottages with one or two
rooms.
Warm their dirt-floor house by bringing
pigs inside.
Slept on piles of straw.
Diet consisted of vegetables, coarse
bread, grain, cheese, and soup.