Transcript The Feudal and Manorial Systems

“From the fury of the Norseman,
save us O’ Lord”
HOW was this prayer answered?
The Feudal and Manorial Systems
Objective to identify how :
In Europe during the Middle Ages, the feudal and manorial systems
governed life and required people to perform certain duties and
obligations.
The Feudal System
Knights did not exist at the beginning of the Middle Ages but began to emerge as the
period progressed.
Origins of Feudalism
• Feudalism originated partly as result
of the Viking, Magyar, Muslim
invasions
• Kings were unable to defend their
lands, lands of their nobles
• Nobles had to a find way to defend
their own lands
• They built castles, often on hills
• Not elaborate structures; built of
wood, used as place of shelter in case
of attack (motte and bailey)
Knights and Lords
• Nobles needed trained soldiers to
defend castles
• Knights were the most important,
highly skilled soldiers
• Mounted knights in heavy armor
were the best defenders
• Being a knight was expensive; they
had to maintain weapons, armor,
horses
• Knights demanded payment for
services
Fiefs and Vassals
Knights were usually paid for their services with land
• Land given to a knight for service was called a fief.
– Anyone accepting a fief was called a vassal.
– The person from whom he accepted the fief was his lord.
• Historians call the system of exchanging land for service the
feudal system, or feudalism.
Feudal Obligations
Oath of Fealty
• Lords and vassals in feudal system had duties to fulfill to one another.
• A knight’s chief duty as vassal was to provide military service to his lord.
• He had to promise to remain loyal; A promise called the oath of fealt.y
Financial Obligations
• Knight had certain financial obligations to lord.
• Knight obligated to pay ransom for lord’s release if captured in battle.
• Gave money to lord on special occasions, such as knighting of son.
Lord’s Obligations
• Lord had to treat knights fairly, not demanding too much time or money.
• He had to protect the knight if he was attacked by enemies.
• He had to act as judge in disputes between knights
A Complicated System
Lord and Vassal
Fealty to King
• Europe’s feudal system was incredibly
complex.
• A person could be both lord and
vassal.
• Some knights with large fiefs gave
small pieces of land to other knights;
this created many levels of obligations.
• One knight could serve many lords; no
prohibition against knight accepting
fiefs from more than one noble.
• Almost everyone in the system served
more than one lord.
• Theoretically, everyone supposed to
be loyal to the king.
• In practice, not everyone was loyal
• Some powerful nobles as strong as
kings they were supposed to serve,
but ignored their duties as vassals
• Feudal rules specific to time, place;
could change over time; England’s
rules were not same as France’s rules
The Manorial System
The feudal system was a political and social system. A related system governed
medieval economics. This system was called the manorial system because it was
built around large estates called manors.
Lords, Peasants, and
Serfs
• Manors were owned by
wealthy lords and
knights.
• Peasants farmed manor
fields.
• They were given
protection, and plots of
land to cultivate for
selves
Serfdom
Free People
• Most peasants on farm
were serfs, tied to
manor.
• Manors had some free
people who rented land
from lord. They were
known as tenants.
• They were not slaves,.
They could not be sold
away from manor
• But could not leave, or
marry without lord’s
permission
• Others on the manor
included landowning
peasants, skilled
workers like
blacksmiths, millers
• Also had a priest for
spiritual needs
A Typical Manor
• Most of the manor’s land was occupied by fields for crops, pastures for animals.
• Middle Ages farmers learned that leaving a field empty for year improved soil.
• In time, this practice developed into three-field crop rotation system.
Rotation
Small Village
• One field was planted in spring for fall
harvest.
• Each manor included a fortified house
for noble family, and village for
peasants and serfs.
• Another field was planted in winter for
spring harvest.
• The third field remained unplanted for
year.
• The goal was to make manor selfsufficient.
• The typical manor also included a
church, a mill, and a blacksmith
Daily Life in the Middle Ages
Life in a Castle
• Life in the Middle Ages was not easy. They did not have comforts we have today.
• Early castles were built for defense, not comfort.
• They had few windows. They were stuffy in summer, cold in winter, and dark
always.
Space
• Nobles had to share space with others, including soldiers and servants.
• Private rooms were very rare.
• Main room was the hall. It was a large room for dining and entertaining.
Bedrooms
• In early castles, the noble family bedrooms were separated from main area by
sheets.
• Later castles had separate bedrooms with nearby latrines.
• A wooden bathtub was placed outside in warm weather, inside near fireplace in
winter.
Life in a Village
Despite discomforts, life in a castle was preferable to life in a village. The typical village
family lived in a small wooden one-room house. The roof was made of straw, the floor
of dirt, and the furniture of rough wood. Open holes in the walls served as windows.
Bedrooms
• Most families slept on beds of straw
on the floor.
• All members shared one room with
each other and animals.
• Most were glad to have animals to
provide extra heat in cold winters.
Meals
• Peasant families cooked their meals
over an open fire in the middle of the
floor.
• Typical meal: brown bread, cheese,
vegetables, and occasionally meat.
• Their were no chimneys. The house
was often full of smoke; and fires were
common.
The family rose before dawn. Men went to work in the fields; women did chores.
During harvest, the entire family worked in the field all day.