Feudalism in Europe

1. Mr. Morris World History Feudalism in Europe

2. Key Terms Ch 13.2 pg 358 • Lord • Fief • Vassal • Knight • Serf • Manor • Tithe

3. Invaders Attack Western Europe • From 800 to 1000 invasions destroyed the Carolingian Empire • Muslims invaded from the south • Magyars from the east • Vikings from the north

4. The Vikings Invade from the North • Vikings were from Scandinavia and worshiped warlike gods • Attacked quickly and went out to sea again before defense could be mounted • Viking warships held up to 300 men with 72 oars; could sail in 3 feet of water • Vikings were also traders, farmers and explorers • Leif Ericson reached North America around 1000 • Found Christianity, stopped killing

5. Magyars and Muslims Attack from the East and South • Magyars attacked after the Viking threat faded • Great on horseback; didn’t settle conquered land, just took people to sell as slaves • Muslims attacked from the south • Mainly attacked from the sea • These attacks left many people feeling vulnerable; kings couldn’t do anything for most people so they turned to local rulers who had military power

6. A New Social Order: Feudalism • 911 – Rollo, head of a Viking army, made a deal with Charles the Simple, king of France • Rollo got French territory in the north and swore allegiance to Charles

7. Feudalism Structures Society • As attacks increased, more people copied the agreement that Rollo and Charles made • Also happened in China and Japan • In exchange for military protection, a landowner would give land to a military leader who would promise to protect • All dependent upon who had control of the land

8. The Feudal Pyramid • Feudal society resembled a pyramid • King • Nobles and bishops • Knights • Peasants

9. Social Classes Are Well Defined • In feudal society, status determined the power of a person • People classified into three groups • Those who fought – nobles & knights • Those who prayed – people of the Church • Those who worked – peasants • Social class was usually inherited • Most peasants were serfs – people who could not leave the land they were born on • Not slaves, couldn’t be bought and sold • Labor belonged to the lord (landowner)

10. Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism • During the Middle Ages, manors were the basic economic arrangement • Based on set of rights and obligations between lords and their serfs • Lord gave serfs houses, farmland, and protection from bandits • Serfs tended lord’s lands, cared for his animals, and kept the estate up • Women worked alongside husbands • Peasants owed lords labor and grain

11. A Self-Contained World • Peasants rarely left the manor • Manor had the lord’s house, church, and workshops • 15 to 30 families on a manor • Manors surrounded by fields, pastures, and woods • Sometimes had a stream for food and a mill • Nearly everything the lord needed produced on the manor • Outside purchases – salt, iron, unusual objects

12. The Harshness of Manor Life • Peasants paid a high price for living on the lord’s land • Paid taxes for bread, marriages, and church • Small, cramped cabins with no heat and dirt floors • Spent days in the fields and nights taking care of family • Children were put to work very young • Many didn’t survive to adulthood • Average life span – 35 for peasants