Transcript Feudalism and the Feudal Pyramid

Feudalism and the
Feudal Pyramid
The foundation of Middle Ages
society
Feudal Pyramid

European society resembled a chess game

Kings/Queens were powerful, but not always the most powerful
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Bishops/Nobles tried to lessen royal authority
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Lesser nobles served as knights
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Most people were poor
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Poor were known as serfs: like slaves as they are bound to the land they
work (pawns in a chess game)
Continued…

Royalty needed military to be strong
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Landowners were often as powerful as royalty due to
land assets
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Landowners offered protection to others
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In return, poorer served as Vassals (Lesser Lords) to the Lord
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This became known as “Lord/Vassal Relationship” or “Feudalism”
Feudal Pyramid
The Medieval Manor
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Manor: Lord’s estate
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What did the Manor consist of ?
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1,000 or more acres of land
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Castle
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Church
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Peasant huts
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Equipment for food making (ovens, wine presses)
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Forests and farmable land
The Medieval Manor
Farming and Daily Life at a Manor
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Feudalism was based on farming – simple tools and not
efficient
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People at this time did not know about crop rotation
(planting different crops to replenish minerals)
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Instead, they fallowed the land
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Fallow: untilled/unfarmed land to restore fertility
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Demesne: best farming land on the manor
Continued…

Most serfs lived in a single thatched roof cottage
– heat came from a center fireplace (cottage fires
were common)

Both serf men and women worked hard –men =
fields, women = household duties

Money was scarce due to little trade
Castle Life

Castle was on the highest ground to protect from enemy
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Surrounded by a moat: protective water around a castle
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Great Hall: living quarters of the lord and his family
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Keep: most secure/safest place in castle…where lord/family would go in
case of/during an attack
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Dungeon: place where prisoners were kept – were dark, dirty, and jail-like
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Castles were made of stone – they were cold and were lit by candle light as
there were not many windows
Manor Life
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Lord did administrative work
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Steward: Lord’s chief advisor
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Reeve: spokesperson for the lord
and overseer of serfs
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Constable: called meetings for the
lord and enforced laws
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Lord’s Wife: overseer of artisans
and took lord’s power if he was
away at battle

Serfs: Did the labor work at the
manor