Feudalism and Manorialism PDF

Aiden Mendez Mr.Bowman Feudalism and Manorialism 1.​ Invaders Attack Western Europe a.​ The Vikings Invade from the North ​ From Scandinavia - Northern Europe (Denmark, Norway, Sweden) ​ Also called Northmen or Norsemen (Germani...

Aiden Mendez Mr.Bowman Feudalism and Manorialism 1.​ Invaders Attack Western Europe a.​ The Vikings Invade from the North ​ From Scandinavia - Northern Europe (Denmark, Norway, Sweden) ​ Also called Northmen or Norsemen (Germanic) ​ Worshipped warlike gods ​ Carried out speedy raids by beaching their warships( Longboats) ​ Viking warships were large but could sall in shallow water ​ Vikings were also traders, farmers, explorers ​ Leef Ericson reached North America years before Columbus ​ Climate changed because of natural currents and the earth goes through cycles ​ They eventually accepted Christianity b.​ Magyars and Muslim Invasions ​ The Magyars, a group of nomadic people, attacked from the east, from what is now Hungary - superb horsemen. They attacked isolated villages and monasteries. They overran northern Italy. ​ The Magyars did not settle conquered land. Instead, they took captives to sell as slaves. ​ The Muslims struck from the south, invading through what are now Italy and Spain. The Muslims were expert seafarers, they were able to attack settlements on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. ​ The invasions by Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims caused widespread disorder and suffering. Most western Europeans lived in constant danger. People lived in fear becasue they are scared of the raids. 2.​ A New Social Order: Feudalism ​ the system of governing and landholding called feudalism, had emerged in Europe - based on rights and obligations ​ A lord or landowner granted land for military protection. The land granted was a fief. Feudalism depended on the control of land. ​ The person receiving a fief was called a vassal. ​ Feudalism was created to keep order and to protect themselves b.​ The Feudal Pryamid ​ structure of feudal society was like a pyramid ​ the top was the king or lord ​ most powerful vassals - (wealthy landowners) nobles and bishops ​ beneath these vassals were knights  ​ knights - mounted horsemen who pledged to defend their lords' lands in ​ exchange for fiefs ​ the bottom - landless peasa c.​ Social Classes are well defined ​ Status determined a person’s prestige and power ​ People were classified into three groups: ​ those who fought (nobles and knights) ​ those who prayed (men and women of the Church) ​ those who worked (peasants) ​ Majority of people were peasants ​ Most peasants were serfs ​ Serfs - people who could not lawfully leave the place where they were ​ born ​ were bound to the land ​ were not slaves ​ could not be brought or sold d.​ Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism ​ The manor was the lord’s estate ​ The manor system - a set of rights and obligations between a lord and his serfs ​ was the basic economic arrangement ​ The lord provided the serfs with housing, farmland, and protection from bandits In return, serfs tended the lord's lands, cared for his animals, and performed other tasks to maintain the estate ​ Peasant women shared in the farm work with their husbands ​ All peasants (free or serf) owed the lord certain duties - labor and a certain portion of their grain e.​ A Self-Contained World ​ Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from their own manor. ​ A manor usually covered only a few square miles of land - the lord’s manor house, a church, and workshops - 15 to 30 families lived in the village on a manor. ​ Self-sufficient community - serfs and peasants raised or produced nearly everything that they and their lord needed for daily life. ​ The only outside purchases were salt, iron, and a few unusual objects such as millstones - huge stones used to grind flour. f.​ Manor Life ​ During the middle ages people invented new tools for farmers - metal horseshoe, new type of horse harness, pitchfork ​ Peasants paid a tax on all grain ground in the lord’s mill, paid a tax on marriage, a tithe, or church tax - one-tenth of their income.  ​ Serfs lived in dirty crowded cottages, close to their neighbors. ​ Simple diet - vegetables, coarse brown bread, grain, cheese, and soup. g.​ Manor Life ​ Life was work and more work - raising crops and livestock and taking care of home and family. ​ As soon as children were old enough, they were put to work - many children did not survive to adulthood (Illness and malnutrition). ​ Average life expectancy was about 35 years. ​ Despite the hardships, serfs accepted their lot in life as part of the Church’s teachings. They believed that God determined a person’s place in society - predestination