Transcript Knight - Lincoln High School

Feudal Society
ORIGINS
 Charlemagne’s
Kingdom Breaks Up
 Weak
Kings
 Territory Vulnerable
* Feudalism: a social system that
existed during the Middle Ages in
which people worked and fought for
nobles who gave them protection and
the use of land in return.
You need a Hero!



Common folk banded
together in clans
Families and familiar
groups
You need the talents of
an experienced warrior
What is in it for Him?

What are you good at?
Farming
• What do you own?
Land
• What do you value?
Life
Let’s Make a Deal!
The Deal




Land and percentage of
produce
Protection for ever
You get to live there and
live your life
He gets to be rich and
rule
The Medieval Catholic Church
 filled the power vacuum left from the
collapse of the classical world.
 monasticism:

St. Benedict – Benedictine Rule of
poverty, chastity, and obedience.
 provided schools for the children of
the upper class.
 inns, hospitals, refuge in times of war.
monks  missionaries to the
barbarians. [St. Patrick, St. Boniface]
The Power of the Medieval Church
 Pope Gregory I played a large part in
the political system.
 the church controlled about 1/3 of the
land in Western Europe.
 tried to curb feudal warfare  only 40
days a year for combat.
 tithe  1/10 tax on your assets given to
the church.
 Peter’s Pence  1 penny per person
[paid by the peasants].
A few feudal terms:
* Fealty: oath taken showing loyalty/allegiance to the lord.
* Fief: piece of land/estate granted to the vassal by the lord.
* Manorialism: economic aspect of feudalism, entirely self-sufficient.
* Serf: peasants bound to the land (85-90 % of population).
CHARACTERISTICS
• Overall purpose was PROTECTION
• FEALTY (service, loyalty) i.e. 40 days
• Self-sufficient MANOR (little trade)
• DECENTRALIZED POWER
1. No taxation
2. No universal laws or justice
3. “Promise” prevents betrayal
COMPLEX and UNSTABLE
(The ideal was never realized)
 Inheritance
 Marriage
 War
 Dual
Loyalties
 Expensive (Castle)
* Feudalism: system of government in which local lords
(vassals) governed their own lands, but owed military
service and other support to a greater lord/king.
Characteristics:
* Overall purpose was protection
* Based on service, loyalty (i.e. 40 days military service)
* Self-sufficient community (little to no trade)
A few feudal terms:
LORD
VASSAL
SERF
INVESTITURE
HOMAGE
FIEF
The Medieval Manor
LIFE
ON
THE
MANOR
3
Field System
 Demesne
 Self Sufficient
Life on the Medieval Manor
Serfs at work
Castles
Parts of a Castle
The Keep
* Motte
* Motte-and-Bailey Castle
(Courtyard)
* Moat
* Wet - wastes and other nasty stuff
* Dry were very common as well
* Drawbridge
* Portcullis
* Embrasures
* Machicolations
(murder holes)
* Keep (most secure fortress)
* Siege Warfare
Knights
Chivalry: A Code of Honor and Behavior
What is Chivalry?
A code of honor
* Chivalry: a knight’s code of conduct
(bravery, loyalty, honesty, courtesy, etc.).
* Examples: - don’t stab somebody in the back
- don’t ambush your opponent
- don’t attack an unarmed opponent
MYTH or REALITY?
REALITY
Speak the Truth
 Defend the Church
 Protect the Poor
 Make Peace
 Pursue Infidels
 Show Loyalty
 Guardian for Women
 Be Courteous
 Treat Prisoners as
Guests

Betray other Knights
 Rob the Church
 Slaughter Peasants
 Highway Robbery
 Drink to Obscenity
 Commit Adultery
 Beat your wife
 Brawl with Knights
 Mistreat Prisoners

The Road to Knighthood
KNIGHT
SQUIRE
PAGE
Training
Page:
* sent for training
(age 7-14, lord’s castle)
* horseback
* swordplay
* armor
* physical stamina
* chivalry
Squire: around age 14
* more disciplined training (harsh consequences)
* mock combat
* personal servant to a knight (mentor)
Knight: around age 18-21
* “dubbing” (ceremony)
“I make thee knight!”
* lord’s servant
* tournaments
HERALDRY
 identification of a
knight (“coat of
arms”).
 necessary b/c of
armor, helmet, etc.
 shown on banner,
shield, helmet,
surcoat, etc.
THE TOURNAMENT
* Melee: combat in groups (dangerous/fatal?)
* Joust: individual combat
- During times of peace, they would joust
to “stay sharp”
ARMOR
•Chainmail: tens of
thousands of interlocking
rings for shirt, coif, and
leggings
(early Mid. Ages 11th c.)
DEVELOPMENT
OF ARMOR
(12th – 13th c.)
CROSSBOW
BOLT
* Plate Armor: metal
plates covering the
body, up to 30 pieces!
(late Mid. Ages 14th c)
The End