Feudalism: Lords & Vassals PDF

PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET OR TAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM!! How Feudalism Worked So, to sum up: lots of chaos, lots of invaders....

PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET OR TAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM!! How Feudalism Worked So, to sum up: lots of chaos, lots of invaders. People needed protection, but there was no central government to provide it. A system of mutual obligation (remember: everybody gives something; everybody gets something) soon developed. As you read the explanation of feudalism, refer to the diagrams below and on the next page for clarification—it gets pretty complicated! Mutual Obligation in Feudalism—Lords and Vassals Chapter Three—Postclassical Europe; Section Three—Germanic Kingdoms and Feudalism Superpowerful Warlord→King Noble birth, has power on own lands and if there is a war military land service High-level Lord High-level Lord Noble birth, has Noble birth, has power on own lands power on own lands Serfs were essentially military military land land slaves, only service service slaves belong to a person. Lower-level Lower-level Lower-level Lower-level Lower-level Lower-level Serfs belonged Lord Lord Lord Lord Lord Lord to a piece of noble birth, noble birth, noble birth, noble birth, noble birth, noble birth, land. So if you has power has power has power has power has power has power were a lord and on own on own on own on own on own on own got a piece of lands lands lands lands lands lands land, it would come with serfs. A manor was a grant of land Common people who needed protection negotiated a deal with that included a local land-owning warlords. These ordinary people, who were known castle, walls for as serfs, would live on the warlord’s manor, and farm the land for him. defense, fields, a village for In return, the warlord provided protection, food, shelter, and tools. serfs, and a These serfs were bound to the land—which meant they could never small church. move away from the lord’s manor. A lord was a The warlords, of course, needed armies. They negotiated deals with person of noble birth who nearby nobles. The warlords would give land to these nobles (making owned land. All them lords), and in return, the new lords would pledge their military lords were service to the warlord. These extremely powerful warlords eventually nobles, but not became kings, though remember, they didn’t have much power all nobles were unless they were leading an army in battle. lords. A noble was a Anyone who owned land was a lord. On the lord’s own land, he person who was could do pretty much whatever he wanted. All landowners, and all born into a people descended from landowners were nobles. After a while, an family that incredibly complex system developed, with all different levels of owned land. 3.3 52  PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET OR TAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM!! lords and nobility. (This is where titles like duke, count, earl, etc. Primogeniture was come from, but don’t worry about all that until college.) the European system in which only When a lord died, all of his land would the oldest son in a go to his oldest son (a system called family inherits land. primogeniture). If the dead lord had Other sons who did younger sons, those sons wouldn’t not inherit would often become inherit land. So often, they would monks or knights to agree to go and work for a lord as a earn their livings. knight. Lords gave knights food, shelter, and weapons; knights gave A knight was a Chapter Three—Postclassical Europe; Section Three—Germanic Kingdoms and Feudalism lords military service. noble who did not own land, but Any lord could make a contract to worked as a soldier for a lord who did, in give a part of his land to another return for food, noble in return for military service. For feudal knights in battle shelter, and example, imagine that King John had weapons. given land to a nobleman, David. Now he would be Lord David and owe King John military service. But if Lord David was worried about a neighboring lord attacking him, he could give some pieces of his land to local nobles Bill, Adam, and Mark (who would then be lesser lords, because they owned land). In return, Lesser Lords Bill, Adam, and Mark would owe Lord David military service. This could go on indefinitely as long as people were willing to trade land for military service. So if, say, a band of Vikings attacked King John, then he would summon Lord David to come and help him fight, because Lord David was his vassal. Lord David, in turn, would summon his A vassal was a vassals—Lesser Lords Bill, Adam, and Mark—to come and fight with person who owed him and King John. This is how warfare worked under feudalism. military service to a lord. There was no standing army of professionals, always waiting in case they were needed. Rather, lords had to call on their vassals, who would then come to the lords’ aid. Mutual Obligation in Feudalism—Lords, Knights, and Serfs Any Level of Lord food owns land; noble birth protection shelter food weapons shelter military labor service Knight Knight Serf Serf Serf Serf noble birth, noble birth, common common common common but does but does birth, birth, birth, birth, not own not own bound to bound to bound to bound to land; works land; works land land land land for a lord for a lord where where where where as a soldier as a soldier born, has born, has born, has born, has no rights no rights no rights no rights 53 3.3  PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET OR TAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM!! Section Four—the Decline of European Feudalism Several political factors led to the decline of feudalism in the second half of the Postclassical period (roughly 1000-1450). These included increases in power for kings, the beginnings of constitutional government in England, and advances in warfare. Political Changes in France In France, the Capetian dynasty of monarchs began moving to increase royal power. How might a monarch do that? Remember, under feudalism, the nobles had the most power (as did the Catholic Church in Western Europe). Chapter Three—Postclassical Europe; Section Four—the Decline of European Feudalism So it makes sense that the way to increase the monarch’s power would be to take power away from the nobles and the Church. This process began with the consequences of the actions of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Philip Augustus. Eleanor of Aquitaine Aquitaine was a giant piece of land, which today is a region in France. At different times during the Postclassical period, it belonged to both England and France. Eleanor of Aquitaine was born the heir to (big surprise!) Aquitaine. The customs in Aquitaine allowed women to inherit and control land (which was not the norm in the rest of Europe). Eleanor riding into battle with first husband, King Louis VII of France As a young woman, Eleanor married King Louis VII of France, thus making Aquitaine part of France. Later, she married King Henry II of England, and had three sons who also became kings of England. (She was a very interesting lady, and there have been several very accurate historical novels written about her life, so if you like that sort of thing, look those up!) OK, so Eleanor was queen of France, then England. How did this increase royal power? Well, Eleanor’s marriage to Henry II of England brought Aquitaine under the control of England. English kings (for reasons that will be explained in the next sub-section) already controlled the French lands of Normandy and Anjou. So the fact that Henry of England now also had Aquitaine meant that the English controlled about 1/3 of the land in France. This eventually started a war Eleanor of Aquitaine looks friendly between France and England, which led to the here, but she was pretty ruthless. She once plotted with her sons to kill her increase of French royal power under French king Philip husband, among other things. Augustus. 3.4 54  PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET OR TAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM!! Philip Augustus Philip II of France, aka ‘Philip Augustus,’ came to power after Louis VII. He was understandably troubled that England controlled so much land in France, so started a war against the Plantagenet kings of England. At first he was fighting with Kings Henry II and Richard the Lionheart, who were strong kings, so Philip wasn’t too successful. Chapter Three—Postclassical Europe; Section Four—the Decline of European Feudalism Philip’s luck changed when English King John (whom you may remember as the hated king in the Robin Hood stories) took the throne. Philip defeated John and forced him to swear fealty to France. In one fell swoop, Philip gained back all of the lost French territory and asserted his power over England (and also increased his prestige as king). Later Prestige (‘press- French stamp commemorating Capetian monarchs found ways to TEEJ’) is a good Philip II’s victory in the Battle reduce the power of the nobility. reputation of Bouvines achieved through wealth or success. Political Changes in England After the collapse of the Roman empire, several kingdoms arose in England, each with its own king. In the late 800s, the ruler of Wessex, Alfred the Great, became the first king of England as a whole. the Norman Conquest In 1066, the English king Edward the Confessor died. There Anglo-Saxon is was some dispute over who was to be the used today to next king, so a traditional Anglo-Saxon describe white council called the Witan met to make a people of Western decision. The council chose Harold of European descent. However, the Wessex as the heir to the throne. Germanic tribes Unfortunately, Harold had a competitor— that settled in William of Normandy. (Normandy is on England were the the coast of France.) William had Angles and the knighted Harold several years back, and Saxons, so historically it is used in return, Harold had promised to help to describe any make William king upon Edward’s death. custom that originated with In order to claim his throne, William led an Harold of Wessex (from them. Also, invasion of England in 1066. This invasion the Bayeux Tapestry) England gets its name from the is usually called ‘the Norman Conquest’ Angles—’Angle- or ‘the Battle of Hastings.’ William won and was crowned the king land’ eventually of England. Henceforth, he was known as ‘William the got turned into Conqueror.’ ‘England.’ 55 3.4  PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET OR TAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM!! As king, William set up the foundation for an increase in royal power in England. First, he claimed that all the land in England belonged to him. Then he distributed it to men who had helped him to conquer England. This made them his vassals, which meant that they owed him fealty, ensuring that the most powerful men in the country were loyal to him. (Remember, land and power went hand-in-hand in Medieval Europe). Chapter Three—Postclassical Europe; Section Four—the Decline of European Feudalism Later, William ordered a survey of all the people and property in England, called the Domesday Book. This made it possible for William the Conqueror arriving in England him to collect taxes efficiently and make appropriate plans for defense. Essentially, Pronunciation William came in and showed everyone who was boss, then worked guide ‘Domesday’ efficiently to manage England well, thus increasing monarchical is actually an power. archaic spelling of ‘doomsday,’ so Additionally, the Norman Conquest had a profound impact on that is how it’s pronounced. The English language and culture. Have you ever noticed what a whole doomsday crazy language English is? That is because it is a blend of Latin, idea comes from German, Danish, and French (all of which have different the finality and grammatical structures and rules). The changes that England authority of the underwent in the Postclassical period led to the development of a survey. People felt this was similar to sort of amalgam language with a bunch of weird rules and tons of being judged by exceptions. God on Doomsday, so the name stuck. the Magna Carta In 1199, King John I took the throne of England. He was definitely not the best or most popular king ever. He An amalgam is a overtaxed the English in order to pay for a war with France (which big old sloppy he lost). Then he got into mishmash of an argument with the different stuff. No, Pope, which resulted in that’s not exactly the Oxford England being Dictionary temporarily cut off from definition, but it still the services of the works. Catholic Church. He also had a habit of arresting people without respecting their traditional rights. In 1215, the English nobles got fed up with John and forced him to sign the Even in a tent in the middle of Runnymeade Magna Carta (which field, apparently King John had a fancy tablecloth to make it easier to sign things in style. means ’Great Charter.’) 3.4 56  PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET OR TAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM!! The Magna Carta is a super-important document to consider when studying the evolution of constitutional government. The three main points of the document were: that the king was not above the law, that the king would consult the nobles before imposing new taxes, and that no one could be illegally arrested or imprisoned. This last idea evolved into the modern legal principle of habeas corpus—which basically assures citizens that they will Habeas corpus is not be arrested without cause or punished without a trial. Latin for ’you can have the body—’ Moreover, the Magna Carta was one of the first documents to meaning assert the idea that people have rights. (The Magna Carta really something like, Chapter Three—Postclassical Europe; Section Four—the Decline of European Feudalism only acknowledged that nobles had rights, but hey, it was a start!) “Here, take this person’s body who This document established many ideas that are still present in both has been unlawfully English and American law today. imprisoned; now he is free!” The freed the Poorly-Named Hundred Years’ War Three major events prisoner is supposed to be in the late Postclassical period definitively contributed to the end alive, so don’t of feudalism: the Crusades, for economic reasons (covered in misinterpret the use Section Five), the Black Death, for social reasons (covered in of ’body’ as Section Six), and the Hundred Years’ War, for political and military referring to a dead reasons. body. The Hundred Years’ War was between England and France. (Hmm… are you starting to notice a theme here? England + France ≠ Best Friends Forever.) ’Hundred Years’ War’ is actually a misnomer, Misnomer literally since it lasted for 116 means ‘bad years, from 1337- name,’ and refers to a thing with a 1453. It began name that doesn’t because of a describe it well. disputed claim to the French throne, and went on so long because of arguments over territory. The French won, regaining most of the disputed continental territories. England is an Sounds like old news island, so here as far as the English continental a contemporary illustration of the Battle of Crecy and the French are territories refers to from the Froissart Chronicles, a book which recorded lands England the history of the first half of the Hundred Years’ War concerned, right? claimed that were on the main Three things made the Hundred Years’ War important with regard continent of Europe to the decline of feudalism: a brave army chick, some new (in modern-day weapons, and a rise in nationalism. France). 57 3.4  PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET OR TAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM!! Joan of Arc: Brave Army Chick At first, the English were winning for a while; then the French were winning; then the English were Pronunciation winning again. (Don’t worry about all that: guide The correct just remember the French won eventually.) French They won in part because of Joan of Arc, a pronunciation of ‘Orleans’ is ‘or-lay- teenager who had visions of the saints who ON.’ told her to lead an army to Orleans, a French city under siege. In 1429, she During a siege, an accompanied the army, which was able to lift the siege. This boosted the confidence Chapter Three—Postclassical Europe; Section Four—the Decline of European Feudalism attacking army will Joan of Arc miniature surround a city and of the French troops, and Joan became a painting, c. 1485 not let anyone or sort of national rallying point for the French. anything in or out. It takes a while, but Unfortunately, soon thereafter, Joan was captured by Burgundians, the idea is for the victims to run out of who sold her to the English. The English then burned her at the food and either stake as a witch. This leads to an important cultural aside: in surrender or starve historical times, people who heard voices were either considered to death. divinely inspired by God, or witches, and sometimes both. The moral to the story is: if you ever travel back in time, and you start Burgundy was a politically hearing voices, do not tell anyone. Also, be prepared: it is going independent to smell. Medieval Europeans didn’t bathe much. duchy (dukedom) in the eastern part New Weapons Two new weapons of modern-day came into use during the Hundred France. Today, Years’ War—the Welsh longbow and Burgundy is a French region the cannon. These contributed to famous for red the decline of feudalism in a military wine, which you way. The Welsh longbow gave the are not old enough English the advantage in some of to drink, so don’t. the early battles. But the French use of cannons is what really tanked feudal warfare. Think about the basic element of feudal defense: a modern illustration of a cannon castle with thick walls. Sure, it would used at the Battle of Castillon, provide great protection against the last battle of the Hundred Years’ War some dudes with bows and arrows, but not a cannon. So because of these new weapons, feudal castles and warfare became If something is obsolete. obsolete, it is completely and Rise of Nationalism Another way in which the Hundred Years’ War totally out of date contributed to the decline of feudalism was by creating a rise in and thus kind of nationalism. Remember, feudal Europe wasn’t really centered useless (like typewriters, or around modern nations. People would feel more loyalty to the answering lord of the manor they lived on than to their king and country as a machines). whole. By giving French and English people a common enemy, the war led to a rise in national feeling, which was different from how things had been at the height of feudalism. 3.4 58