Medieval Europe

LORDS

SERFS

Feudalism

• Feudalism is the name given to the form of organization in European society which existed during the period when there were no strong central governments, and when there was no civil equality of people. This was a characteristic of Western Europe from the ninth to the fourteenth centuries

Manorialism

• Was the economic system in Europe during the Middle Ages. A manor was a large estate controlled by a Lord and worked by peasants. Manors covered most of Europe during this time,providing for the lords and their tenants. The lord of the castle also owned the manor. The peasants lived on and cultivated small plots of land on the manor as well as farming the lords personal land. They were “bound to the soil” and were considered a part of the property. The Lord provided government and the protection of the castle from outside forces.

Castles

Castles

• During the Middle Ages there was an explosion of castle construction as feudal lords sought to consolidate their power and provide protective fortresses for the people living in the area they controlled. The first castles were built by Germanic tribes soon after the fall of the Roman Empire. The castle remained a prime military resource for much of the Middle Ages. It wasn’t until the late 1600’s, when gunpowder and artillery became more effective, that castles became obsolete.