Feudalism

The Feudal Compact

• ·         Feudalism is a term used by historians to describe the governmental system and the relationships between landowners and warriors.
• ·         Warriors, known as knights, would pledge his allegiance to a lord, who would in turn give that knight land
• ·         The lord would grant a fief (property) to the knight, who would then become the lord’s vassal (servant) – this was called the “feudal compact”
• ·         The vassal must fight for the lord when he needs it and attend his court once a month.

Homage and Knighthood

• ·         A vassal was required to pay homage to his lord, usually this meant kneeling down and taking the lord’s hands in his while speaking an oath of loyalty
• ·         Men were apprenticed to older knights before they could become a full knight themselves
• ·         When a knight died, his fief would revert to his son, though his lord would be protector of that son if he was underage, or if it was a daughter.

The Feudalization of the Church

• ·         Some clergy were known to fight as knights themselves

Feudal States

• ·         Barons were lords of large territories who usually paid homage to a king
• ·         Often a baron’s army could outnumber that of a king, which kept a check on the king’s power

The Manorial Estates

• ·         Medieval society was divided into three “estates” : the clergy, the nobility, and the common people
• ·         Usually the peasantry framed on large plantations known as “manors” which were owned by a lord or lady of the nobility (or a member of the clergy)
• ·         Iron plows and water-powered grinding mills helped with agriculture production, but the yield was still miniscule by today’s standards
• ·         To maintain the health of the soil, the “three-field system” was used where two fields were planted (one in fall, one in spring) and one field was left to reconstitute it’s fertility – then they were rotated
• ·         Villages sprung up on and around manors with small cottages for the peasants and a large manor house for the lord and lady

The People of the Manor

• ·         The lord oversaw major agriculture issues but delegated everyday overseeing to his stewards or bailiffs
• ·         The lady does all the lady things, oversaw servants, entertained guests and ran the manor when her husband was away
• ·         Most peasants were serfs, meaning there we bound to the land and to their lords for “labor service: a few days each week.

The Growth of trade

• ·         The agriculture boomed after 1000 allowed for the establishment of many towns across Europe
• ·         Farm produced and animals were sold in towns and people with wealth bought their luxury items there
• ·         Items liked spices and silks came overland from port cities like Venice and Genoa, who received the goods from eastern capitals like Constantinople
• ·         Europeans exported wool, linen, horses, weaponry and slaves, to name a few
• ·         England and the Low Countries were particularly known for their trade in wool and cloth

The Location and Appearance of Towns

• ·         Most medieval towns were surrounded by fortified walls
• ·         Residences also sprang up outside the walls in the suburbs
• ·         Towns were dominated by a main church and central marketplace
• ·         Buildings for the craft guilds and the wealthiest families would also be in the center of the town

The Life of the Townspeople

• ·         Though townspeople were free, unlike serfs, they still had a hierarchy: merchants at the top, then skilled craftsmen and artisans, then unskilled laborers  and apprentices

The Guilds

• ·         Merchants, craftsmen and artisans formed their own groups called guilds which regulated their trade and protected its members
• ·         Craftsmen were classified as masters, journeymen, and apprentices
• ·         Once became a master after spending years learning as an apprentice, working as a paid journeyman for a number of years, and completing his “masterpiece”