Transcript Feudalism in Europe

Feudalism in
Europe
Feudalism, a political
and economic system
based on land-holding
and protective alliances,
emerges in Europe
So, Last Time…
 After
Treaty of Verdun in 843, there was
instability in Europe. As a result invaders come
from the north, the south, and the east (8001000 AD)
Vikings!!!
 From
Scandinavia
 Denmark, Norway,
Sweden
 Viking long ships sail in
shallow water
 Raided towns, churches
and monasteries
 Great names:
 Eric the Victorious
 Ivar the Boneless
 William the Conqueror
 Eric Bloodaxe
 Thorfinn Skullsplitter
More Vikings!!!
 Also
called Northmen
or Norsemen
 Germanic peoples
 Traders, farmers, and
explorers
 Ships made of wood
 When Viking leaders
died, it was customary
to bury them with their
ships and household
goods.
More Vikings!!!
 8th
c. dark red, 9th c. red, 10th c. orange,
11th c. yellow, green-frequent raids
 Stopped raiding after becoming Christian
and as a warming trend in Europe made
farming easier in Scandinavia
Viking Helmets
 Vikings
did NOT wear horned helmets.
Leif Ericson
 “He
was tall and strong
and very impressive in
appearance. He was
a shrewd man and
always moderate in
behavior.”
 Son of Eric the Red
 Leif sailed to
Newfoundland
 Did he “discover”
America?
Attack!!!
 From
the East:
Magyars (Turkish and
Hungarian nomads)
invade western
Europe in late 800s
 From the South:
Muslims strike from
Africa
 From the North:
Vikings
 Protection needed
and feudalism was
born
Feudalism
 Feudalism
Structures Society:
 850 to 950, feudalism emerges—political
system based on land control
 A lord (landowner) gives fiefs (land grants) in
exchange for services (military service and
food)
 Vassals – people who receive fiefs
The Feudal Pyramid
 Kings
served by
nobles or lords who
are served by
knights; peasants
at bottom
 Knights—
horsemen-defend
their lord’s land in
exchange for fiefs
Social Classes
 Medieval
feudal system classifies people
into three social groups
 Fighters: nobles and knights
 Prayers: monks, nuns, clergy
 Workers: peasants (90% of the people)
Manors
 The
Lord’s Estate
 The manor has an economic system
 Serfs and free peasants maintain the lord’s estate,
give grain
 The lord provides housing, farmland, protection
from bandits
Their Own Little Worlds
 Medieval
manors include lord’s house,
church, workshops, village, pond
 Manors cover a few square miles of land,
are largely self-sufficient (350-5000 acres)
Manor Life – Not so Fun
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Peasants pay taxes to everyone
 Mill
 Bakery
 Tithe - church tax
Serfs live in crowded cottages
with dirt floors, straw for beds
Mud and thatch huts
Daily grind of raising crops,
livestock; feeding and clothing
family
Poor diet, illness, malnutrition
make life expectancy 35 years
Serfs generally accept their lives
as part of God’s plan
The Age of Chivalry
Education
 At
age seven, began
training as a page in
castle
 Learned courtly
manners, chess and
sword fighting.
Education
 At
age 14 began
training as a squire,
acting as servant to
knight (not all squires
became knights)
 Took care of the
knight’s armor,
weapons, and
horses. He also
escorted the knight
to battles.
Education
 At
21, usually became
knight in an official
ceremony
Initiation of Knight
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1. Ceremonial bath the night before the dubbing. (Act of
purification)
2. Beards and heads shaved or only a token lock of hair was
removed, an act that symbolized their submission to the will of
God.
3. Dressed: new white tunic symbolizing purity; under that a
smaller black tunic with black hose and shoes to remind him
of death; over this was a red cloak to show his willingness to
shed blood; white belt
4. Go to church to spend the night in vigil (thinking about the
ceremony the next day and praying). Not allowed to sit but
had to stand or kneel throughout the night.
5. Next morning in front of the whole congregation the
squire’s sword and arms would be blessed. Given armor.
6. Fully armed, the new knight would kneel to receive the
accolade from his sponsor to remind him of the duties.
7. These ceremonies were possible only during times of
peace. In times of war, knights were created on the
battlefield.
Weapons and Equipment
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Saddles—A knight usually
had three saddles (2 for
everyday purposes and
one for use in battle)
Armor—at first chainmail
but it rusted and
tarnished very quickly
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Later full armor
Helmet—Rarely
comfortable
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Weighed as much as 25
pounds
Difficult to hear and talk
Weapons and Equipment
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Sword—Used for slashing
rather than thrusting
 Usually was a 2 edged
blade, 32-33 inches
long and 2 inches
wide
 weighed about 2
pounds.
 Pommel was a walnut
shaped disc at top of
sword—often
contained relics that
belonged to longdead saints.
Morning star-wooded
ball studded with sharp
spikes and attached to a
wooden handle by a
chain
Weapons and Equipment
 Dagger
 Battle
axe
 Shields—Protection but also to identify knights on a
battlefield
 In 700s mounted knights become most important
part of an army
Siege Weapons
 Siege
towers had a platform on
top that lowered like
a drawbridge
 Could support
weapons and soldiers
Siege Weapons
 Battering
Ram
 Made of heavy
timber with a sharp
metal tip
 Swung like a
pendulum to crack
castle walls or to
knock down
drawbridge
Siege Weapons
 Mangonel
 Flung
huge rocks that
crashed into castle
walls
 Propelled objects up
to a distance of 1,300
feet
 Not as accurate as
trebuchet
 Objects thrown at
lower angle
Siege Weapons
 Trebuchet
 Worked
like a giant
slingshot
 Propelled objects up
to a distance of 980
feet
 Pots
of burning lime
 Boulders
 Severed human heads
 Middle school kids
 Captured soldiers
 Diseased cows
 Dead horses
Siege Weapons
 Tortoise
 Moved
slowly on
wheels
 Sheltered soldiers
from falling arrows
Siege Weapons
 Mantlet
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Shielded soldiers
A large shield or
portable shelter used
for stopping arrows or
bullets.
A mantlet could be
mounted on a
wheeled carriage and
protected one or
several soldiers.
Fighting Nobles
 By
1000s nobles are
fighting
 Feudal lords raise
private armies of
knights
 Knights rewarded with
land
 Provides income
needed for weapons
War Games
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Prepare for real battles by
fighting pretend battles
Winners could demand
large ransoms from the
losers
Blunted weapons had to
be used, but death still
happened.
No blows could be struck
from behind, nor could
you strike someone who
had lost his helmet
Jousting
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1. First came the encounter
with the lance as the
combatants galloped
towards each other; Each
man aimed to hit his
opponent square on the
shield in order to unhorse
him
2. If a lance was broken,
the squire would hand him
another one
3. When three lances had
been broken, swords were
drawn. If there was not a
victor, the knights would
dismount and continue to
fight on foot. The first man
to fall on the ground and
ask for mercy was the loser.
Code of Chivalry
 Be
loyal, brave, and
courteous
 Defend three masters
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Feudal lord
God
His lady
 Protect
weak and poor
 Mock funerals for
knights who were
cowards on the
battlefield
Castle Life
 Lived
in and
protected home of
feudal lords
 At first were wooden
but burning became
a problem…
 Stone castles in 12th
century
Castle Life cont.
 Castles
designed for
protection, not comfort
 High towers were
constructed at each
corner of the wall;
Towers were rounded
off to help deflect
missiles.
 Doors made of solid
wood and bolted by
iron bars.
 Bailey-courtyard
 Keep-house
 Portcullis-iron grill door
Castles
 The
site of a castle
was chosen with
protection in mind.
(rocky cliff)
 Often surrounded by
a ditch called a
moat
Daily Life
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Awake at dawn
Breakfast (bread and ale)
Girls taught needlework,
singing, child care (usually
married by 14)
Knights and squires practiced
riding and fencing
Main meal at 10 or 11:00
(poultry, fish, pork, lamb,
onions, peas, cabbage,
beans, fruit, nuts, salad, bread
and dessert)
Food eaten with fingers (forks
come about later in the
Middle Ages)
Supper at 5:00
Afterwards: sing songs, play
chess, checkers or dice
Go to bed pretty early
Romantic Love
 Expected
to defend his
chosen lady and keep
her entertained with
love poems and songs
(how adorable)
 The Song of Roland –
famous epic poem
 French knights led by
Roland fight Muslims
from Spain
 Troubadours - traveling
poet-musicians
 Went from castle to
castle singing about
joys and sorrows of
romantic love
Rules for Love
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Andreas Capellanus, a member
of the clergy wrote “The Art of
Courtly Love” in 1174.
Some rules are as follows (boys,
pay special attention):
 He who is not jealous cannot
love.
 When one lover dies, a
widowhood of two years is
required of the survivor
 When made public, love
rarely endures.
 It is not proper to love any
woman whom one should be
ashamed to seek to marry.
 If love diminishes, it quickly
fails and rarely revives.
 A man in love is always
apprehensive.