Feudalism and Manorialism Notes

Feudalism and Manorialism

Feudalism

• Definition: A social and political system used during the Middle Ages.

• Origin of the Term:

  • Latin Root: "Feudum" (fief or land grant) appeared in medieval Latin around the 9th century.
  • Old French: "Feodal" (relating to a fief) by the 12th-13th century.
  • Modern English: "Feudalism" coined in the 17th-19th century by historians.

• How it Worked:

  • The king owned all the land and made laws.
  • He gave land (a fief) to rich lords and nobles.
  • Lords provided soldiers and horses to the king.
  • Nobles gave some land to professional soldiers (knights).
  • Knights fought for the nobles and the king.
  • Peasants worked the land for nobles and knights in exchange for protection.

• Diagram of Feudal Society:

  • King: At the top, with loyalty from all.
  • Lords (Vassals to King): Provided military aid, shelter, and homage in exchange for land (fiefs).
  • Knights (Vassals to Lords): Offered military service in exchange for food, protection, and shelter.
  • Peasants (Serfs): Farmed the land and paid rent in exchange for protection.

• Oaths of Fealty:

  • Lords swore an oath of fealty to the king, promising loyalty and no warring against him.

Feudalism Simulation

• Role Cards: Participants took on roles such as king, lords, knights, and serfs.
• Steps in the Simulation:
  1. The King assumes the throne.
  2. Serfs go to their fiefs and bind themselves to the land.
  3. Lords approach the King and request land, exchanging an oath of fealty.
  4. Lords collect food payments from their serfs.
  5. The King collects one food token from each of the lords.
  6. Knights seek land and food from the lords in exchange for military service.
  7. Lords decide which knights will serve them and which will serve the king, and send them accordingly.

Post-Simulation Discussion Questions:

1. Diagram feudal society, including king, lords, knights, serfs, and fiefs, illustrating relationships and duties.
2. Reflect on the feelings associated with being a monarch, lord, knight, or serf.
3. Discuss the necessity of oaths of loyalty.
4. Evaluate the potential for social mobility in the feudal system with evidence from the simulation showing, it does not.
5. Explain why Western Europe employed this system after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Manorialism

• Definition: An economic system used during the Middle Ages.
• Relationship to Feudalism: Has deep connections to feudalism but is a distinct regime.
• Economic Control: The lord exercises legal and economic control over the peasants.
• Economic Need: Trade declined after the Fall of Rome, so manors filled an economic need.
• Self-Sufficiency: Manors were largely self-sufficient communities.

Life on the Manor

• Manor Layout:
  • The lord lived in a large stone manor house.
  • Peasants lived in small cottages with gardens.
  • The village church was built on the lord's land.
  • Fields for planting (spring and fall), pastures for grazing sheep, and forests were included.
  • A mill and pond were present, along with a blacksmith.
• Self-Contained World: Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from their manor; a manor typically covered only a few square miles of land.
• Daily Life:
  • Peasants grew vegetables and harvested crops like wheat.
  • Sheep provided wool for clothing.
  • Wheat was ground into flour at the mill for bread.
  • The blacksmith made iron tools for farming.
• Lord's Obligations: Provided serfs with housing, farmland, and protection from bandits.
• Serf's Obligations: Tended the lord's lands, cared for his animals, and performed other tasks to maintain the estate.
• Taxes and Tithes:
  • Peasants paid taxes on grain ground in the lord's mill and on marriages.
  • They also paid a tithe (one-tenth of their income) to the village priest.
• Living Conditions: Serfs lived in crowded cottages with simple diets and faced hardships, but accepted their lot in life as part of Church teachings.

Medieval Painting: "March: Two Workmen in a Garden by Simon Bening"

• Social Class: Clothing reflected status and responsibilities; peasants could not lawfully wear noble's clothes.

Review Questions on Medieval Manor Life:

1. How much of the world did most serfs see? Very Little
2. What financial limitations did serfs face? Heavy taxes and tithes
3. What indications are there concerning the state of hygiene in manor life? Unhygienic conditions
4. What is your interpretation of the poem "A Voice From The Past"? Hardships of peasant life

• Poem from Piers Plowman: Describes the hard life of English peasants, including hunger and poverty.
  *What by spinning they save, they spend it in house-hire,
  Both in milk and in meal to make a mess of porridge,
  To cheer up their children who chafe for their food,
  And they themselves suffer surely much hunger
  And woe in the winter, with waking at nights
  And rising to rock an oft restless cradle
  WILLIAM LANGLAND, Piers Plowman

Summary Question:

• In what ways did Feudalism provide political, economic, and social stability in Medieval Europe?

After the Fall of Rome

• Europe was divided into many nations.
• People struggled to find food, shelter, and protection.
• Feudalism emerged as a system where poor people were offered land and protection by rich people in exchange for work and loyalty.