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Feudalism in Europe. First. . . What are political, economic, and social systems? Political refers to government: the way a group is governed, by whom, the laws of the group, etc.
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First. . . • What are political, economic, and social systems? • Political refers to government: the way a group is governed, by whom, the laws of the group, etc. • Economic refers to the economy of the group: how laws and events affect trade, employment, the flow of money, taxes, etc. • Social refers to the effects of laws and events on the people’s lives
Invaders Attack Western Europe • The Vikings invade from the north • From Scandinavia • Seafarers • Fearsome • Remember Leif Ericson? He sailed to the North America around 1000 (500 years before Christopher Columbus).
The Muslims invade from the South: • Came across the Mediterranean from North Africa • Invaded through present-day Spain and Italy This is Alhambra, built by the Muslim conquerors in Granada, Spain in 889
What were the results of these invasions? • Widespread disorder and suffering • Constant danger • Kings could not defend their lands • People no longer looked to a central ruler for security • People turned to local rulers who had their own armies • Feudalism arose in Europe
Feudalism • A political and social system based on rights and obligations • In exchange for military protection and other services, a lord (landowner) granted a fief (land) to a vassal (person receiving the fief) • The vassal would pledge loyalty to the lord
What are Serfs? • Most people in medieval times were peasants (people who worked the land) • Most peasants were serfs who worked the land for the lords • Serfs could not: • leave the land they were born on • marry without the lord’s permission • be bought or sold (so they were not slaves) • The serfs’ labor belonged to the lord
Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism • The manor is the lord’s estate • The manor system is the economic arrangement based on the rights and obligations between a lord and his serfs • The lord provides the serf with housing and protection • The serf took care of the lord’s land, animals, and maintained the estate
Serfs worked the lord’s land in exchange for a place to live and protection.
The Medieval Manor • A manor usually covered a few square miles of land • Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from their manor • Manors were self-sufficient; serfs produced or raised everything they or the lord needed for daily life
Manor Life • Peasant life was harsh • They paid taxes to the lord (for grinding grain, marriage, etc.) • They paid a tithe (church tax) equal to one-tenth of their income • They lived in tiny houses with their animals • Everyone in the family worked • They had little food, so illness and malnutrition were common • The average life expectancy was 35