I. Feudalism= -European society during the Middle Ages -there were no longer any great empires -only small feudal states -Nobles owned land given to them by a king

and offered protection to those who agreed to work the land

-In the center of these small areas was a castleA) Vassals & Knights= -A vassal is a noble who serves a lord for

protection -in return for his service he is given a fief to

govern

B) Knights=-warriors in armor= best fighting force of the time-stirrups allowed them to ride horses & carry a

lance-followed a code- chivalry -Knights were expected to be brave, respect

women, honor the church, help people, be honest, and fight fairly

C) Manorial System= -Manor= AKA fief-lords owned land & peasants worked it-freemen paid lords to work land=could leave at

any time

-serfs= had no rights & could not leave

-not a slave

-gave portion of crops to lord for use of land

-lord had to protect serf

-serfs could not be bought of sold

D) Important Inventions=

1) Plow

2) Horse Collar

3) Windmills & Watermills

E) Castles= built for protection from invaders -most built of stone -motte= steep sided hill surrounded the castle -The keep= the main castle was built on the

motteII. Kingdoms & CrusadesA) William the Conqueror= -Battle of Hastings- 1066 defeated Godwinson -crowned King of England -Domesday Book=census of kingdom -changed English culture

B) The Magna Carta=

-King John raised taxes & punished people w/out a trial

-nobles refused to follow him unless he guaranteed certain rights

-Nobles forced KJ to sign Magna Carta

-King couldn’t raise taxes unless agreed to by Great Council

-guaranteed jury trial

-King had duties

*est. idea that people have basic rights & power of government should be limited*

C) The Crusades=

-The Byzantine Empire came under attack from Muslims

-King didn’t have money for defense=asked pope for help

-Pope Urban II declared a holy war on Muslims & encouraged them to take back Jerusalem

-1st Crusade= captured the region around Jerusalem

-after 10 crusades the Muslims had regained the land taken in the 1st Crusade

* Crusades had 2 effects on Europe* 1) Increased trade between Europe & Middle

East 2) Ended feudalism-both of these allowed King to gain power

III. Late Middle AgesA) The Black Death -disease carried by fleas which infested black

rats -In 4 years 38 million people died -1 out of 2 people died

-trade declined & workers were in demand -helped to end feudalism -”Ring around the rosie”B) 100 Years War -England v France -England claimed land in France -war lasted 100 yearsC) Joan of Arc -Joan convinced King that saints had

convinced her to help fight -inspired the troops & they won -English captured & tried her for heresy -burned her @ the stake