Feudalism and the Manorial System

Feudalism and the Manorial System .

Feudalism • Feudalism: a political system with small, local, and independent leaders (local lords) • The System: • Powerful nobles (Lord) grant land (fief) to lesser nobles (vassal) • Vassal promised loyalty, military assistance, and other services to the lord of the fief • Vassals could further divide the land and grant it to others such as knights, who would fight for them in war • A vassal could also be a lord

Feudalism • Fiefs became hereditary • Primogeniture: system of inheritance from father to eldest son • Women: generally did not control land, but often had a fief as part of her dowry • Kings: every land holder was a vassal to the king, but only controlled those who lived on his feudal lands • The church: was part of the feudal system with their own fiefs and vassals

Warfare • Common during the Middle Ages • Most were small, private fights between feudal lords with a handful of knights • A few large conflicts involving entire regions broke out • Knights wore armor • Chain mail until gun powder was developed • Later, overlapping metal plates were worn • Horses were large

Feudal Justice • Trial by Battle: a duel between accusers • Compurgation (Oath Taking): accuser supported by others who swore or took an oath of truth that the accuser was guilty/innocent • Trial by Ordeal: outcome of an ordeal determined the accused guilt/innocence

The Manorial System • An economic system followed by people living on manors (large farming estates) • Farms were self-sufficient • A lord and several peasant families shared the land of the manor • The lord generally kept 1/3 of the land for his home (domain) and peasant families gave the lord some of their crops as well as help farm the lord’s land.

The Manorial System • Manor Villages • Usually located near a river or stream to power the village mill • Peasant Life (serfs) • Life was difficult • Serfs could not leave the land without permission from the lord • Life expectancy was short (disease, starvation, warfare) • Most peasants lived, worked, and died where they were born.

The Manorial System • Nobles’ Lifestyles • Today’s standard of living is better than kings and queens of the middle ages (It wasn’t as glamorous as what is in the movies) • A lord spent most of his days looking after his land and dispensing justice among vassals and serfs • A lord or vassal depended on his wife and children for help. • Marriage was viewed as a way to advance one’s fortune (dowry)

Castles • Early Middle Ages: built of earth and wood (Later: made of stone) • Usually built on hills or other places difficult to attack • A ditch or “moat” was dug around a castle if only flat land was available (often filled with water) • A draw bridge could be lowered across the moat and raised for protection

Castles • “Keep”: main part of castle • Strong tower containing storerooms, workshops, and perhaps barracks and the lord’s living quarters • Great Hall: place where the lord accepted visitors • Castles had thick walls with small windows and no glass

Chivalry • A code of conduct that dictated a knight’s behavior toward others. • To become a knight, a boy had to be born of nobility • Boys first became a “page” or attendant for a knight to learn to care for weapons • In teenage years a page became a squire or full assistant to the knight • After proving himself in battle a squire would become a knight in an elaborate ceremony

Coat of Arms • A symbol on the knight’s shield to distinguish himself from others

Feudalism and the Manorial System