FEUDAL SOCIETY:

Medieval society was organised into three groups:

• Knights were the owners of weapons, and their mission was to protect the rest of the population in the event of an attack. The Knights were noblemen. Castles were the dwelling-places of the nobility, where not only the noble family lived, but also servants, soldiers and some craftsmen, especially blacksmiths. Not all knights had the same wealth and power. There were small, modest knights and rich, powerful knights. Knights were linked through vasallage. This consisted mainly of a ceremony in which both the lord and the vassal took part. The vassal paid homage to the lord; the vassal was required for life to help and support the lord. The lord committed himself to protect the vassal and house him in his dwelling or give him a castle or territory. This donation vas called a fief, the term which feudalism derives from.

• Peasants and other workers were in charge of producing food and necessary objects. In the Middle Ages, most of the population worked in farming activities. Peasants lived in small houses, with usually one room and a shed to shelter the animals. Peasants were dependant on a lord, who administered justice, charged fines and collected taxes. However, all peasants were not alike. Most of the peasants were serfs, that is to say, they depended on a lord or monastery and could no leave the lands where they were born. Other peasants were free.

• Clergymen were monks and priests. They prayed to guarantee the spiritual salvation of the people. A thousand years ago the leading religion in most of Europe was Christianity and Europe was, therefore, known as Christendom. The Church was a powerful institution both at a political and economic level. The popes took an active part in the issues concerning the Christian states. Most of the lands belonged to monasteries, convents and cathedrals. All the peasants (including the free) had to pay the tithe to the Church, which was the tenth part of their harvest. The Church was organised in parish churches where the faithful prayed and dioceses that comprised the territory dominated by the city and were ruled by the bishops. Among the bishops, the main figure was the pope, the head of the Church. The pope, the bishops and the priests are called secular clergy. There were also many monasteries or abbeys in the Middle Ages, where the maximum authority was the abbot. Monks and nuns formed the regular clergy because their life was organised according to a rule.

ACTIVITY 1

Explain the meaning of the following terms and write a sentence with each of them:

a) Fief

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b) Christendom

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c) Diocese

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d) Tithe

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e) Serf

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Vocabulary

Dwelling-places = viviendas, moradasWealth = riquezaWere linked = estaban vinculados, relacionadosTook part = tomaban partePaid homage = rendían homenajeWas required = se le requería, se le pedíaCommitted himself = se comprometíaHouse him = alojarleWere in charge = se encargabanCharged fines = cobraban multasThat is to say = es decirParish church = iglesia parroquialFaithful = fieles