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Explore the feudal system in Medieval Europe, from the power and obligations of lords and vassals to the impact of Viking raids and the role of knights. Discover how the self-sufficient manor system functioned and the societal classes that shaped this period.
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Chapter 13 Section 2 Feudalism in Europe
Lord • A noble – member of the landholding upper class in Medieval society. • Born into position of power.
fief • Land or something of value that could produce income (like the right to collect certain taxes). • A fief was given to a vassal by a lord, in return the vassal, or lesser lord, would owe payment to the Lord – usually in the form of 40 days military service & a supply of men-at-arms.
Vikings • Norse raiders from Scandinavia and Denmark. • The Vikings started raiding Western European settlements in the late 8th century and continued through the 11th century. • Their raids helped the Feudal System to develop because people needed strong local protection from the lightning raids of the Vikings. • Fantastic shipbuilders, seafarers, traders, and explorers. • Viking ships were fast, lightweight, and could travel the ocean or up rivers in just 3 feet of water! • 1st Europeans to sail to the North America – Leif Ericson, about ~1000 A.D.
Knight • A Mounted Warrior of Noble Birth. • Position was based on birthright / blood, although some warriors were granted knighthood due to an act of great bravery on the battlefield. • Most powerful soldier on the Medieval battlefield – fought on a Warhorse. • Training started at age 7 as a page, at age 14 a page became a squire who served a knight in battle. By age 21 a Squire may be knighted (but not all squires became knights – you earned it).
Vassal • A lesser lord who has sworn an oath of loyalty (fealty) to a higher lord. • Could be a knight or lower ranking noble.
Feudalism • A system of decentralized government based on land ownership, heredity (blood lines), and oaths of loyalty. • It was the primary system that governed Western Europe from about 800-1300 A.D.
Serf • A low class commoner, agricultural worker, who worked their lords land (a fief) in exchange for protection (like from Vikings). • A serf was tied to the land and was not free to move from it – although restricted, they were not slaves and could not be bought or sold.
Manor • The self-sufficient economic unit of the middle ages. • A Manor consisted of everything a small community might need from a Mill to grind flour, a Smith to make tools, farm fields and a common pasture, a Church, and the Manor house – a fortified defensive position where the “village” could seek safety in times of attack.
Tithe • A Church tax – it was common for Christians to pay at least 10% of their income to the Church. This income was supposed to be used by the church to care for those less fortunate – like feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and education.
3. What groups invaded Europe in the 800s? • The Muslims (Moors from Spain) • The Magyars (Another Muslim group who invaded eastern Europe). • The Vikings.
4. What obligations did a peasant have to the lord of the manor? • A few days/week labor and a share of the crop (crops were the taxes). Serfs were different than peasants! A serf was tied to the land and was not free to move off the land (a peasant was free to move). BUT a Lord had to protect the Serfs plus provide housing and land to farm. In return a serf tended to the lord’s land, animals, and other duties of the estate. A peasant has no such security/guarantee.
5. What were the 3 social classes of the feudal period? • Those who fought (nobles & knights). • Those who prayed (clergy – priests, monks, nuns). • Those who worked (peasants& serfs).
6. How were the Vikings different from earlier groups that invaded Europe? • The Vikings were raiders – they did not stay (at least not at first – earlier groups like the Goths, Angles, and Saxons were looking for lands to settle). • The wordViking means to Raid. • Eventually the Vikings would stay on lands they invaded and would assimilate into the Feudal system becoming Lords and vassals themselves (ex: William the Conqueror). Kings would make power Viking leaders their vassals rather than enemies.
7. How was the Manor self-sufficient? • Economically it produced everything that a person of that time might need from farm tools, to leather goods, to clothing, and FOOD. • Militarily it was protected by the fortified manor house (sometimes as large as a Castle) and could withstand attack or long siege.
