THE FEUDAL AND THE MANORIAL SYSTEMS

Feudal system = the system of exchanging land for service

Developed out of the need for protection from invadersPeople wanted land and protection, and there was no

central gov’t (Rome had fallen)Nobles could no longer count on their king for

protection, so they had to find a way to defend their own landsBuilt castles for defense

Early castles built out of wood, later castles built out of stone

Needed trained soldiers for their own private armies, the most important of which were knights

Knight = highly skilled and heavily armored soldiers who fight on horseback

Being a knight was expensive – had to purchase weapons, armor, and horses

Knights demanded payment for their servicesWealth was based on owning land – main source of

income since there was little tradeMost knights were paid with land for their services

Vassal = person who owes military service to a lord who has given him land

Fief = the land given to a vassal for service

GIVES LANDLORDS VASSALS

OWES MILITARY SERVICE

Idea of VassalageVassalage came from Germanic society where

warriors swore an oath of loyalty to their leadersThe relationship between a lord and vassal was made

official by a public act of homage, such as swearing an oath of fealty, or loyalty, to one’s lordThis act of loyalty was at the heart of the feudal

systemFeudal contract – set of unwritten rules that determined

the relationship between lord and vassalBoth the lords and vassals had responsibilities

Responsibilities of the vassalOwed the lord military service – usually 40 days a

yearMust promise to remain loyal to lordHelped to advise the lordCertain financial obligations, such as paying ransom

for a captured lord and giving monetary gifts on the wedding of the lord’s eldest daughter and knighting of the eldest son

Responsibilities of the lordSupported the vassal with a grant of landProtected the vassal against enemies and in courtTreat vassal fairly and not demand too much of their

time and moneyAct as judge in disputes between knights

A person could be a lord and a vassal at the same timeSome knights were given large fiefs, which they in turn

subdivided into smaller fiefsThey would then use these fiefs to get their own

vassalsMany levels of subdivision and obligation

One knight could serve many lordsThere was no law that forbid a knight from taking fiefs

from different lordsIf two of his lords went to battle, he had to choose

which one to fight for

Everyone in a country was supposed to be loyal to the kingHowever powerful nobles (lords) found

themselves as strong, if not stronger, than the king

Some even ignored their duties as vassals to the king

In their lands the authority of the king gradually faded

Nobles dominated European society and their main concern was warfareThey formed a wealthy aristocracy with political, economic,

and social powerNobles were: kings, dukes, counts, barons, bishops

Knights became the dominate part of warfareHeld great prestige and the institution of knighthood united

the nobilityYoung knight, with no responsibilities, participated in

tournaments in which knights showed off their skills, with the joust being the main event

Chivalry = ideal of civilized behavior among knights and nobilityKnights were expected to:

Defend the Church and defenseless people (especially women)

Treat captives as honored guests (ransoming other knights = money)

Fight for glory and not material rewardsNoble women could legally hold property, but they still

remained under the control of menThe lady of the castle usually managed the large

household, the estate, and the financial accountsUsually when the lord of the castle was away, he left

his wife in charge

The feudal system was basically a political and social system

The manorial system was the heart of medieval economicsBuilt around large estates called manorsThese manors were usually owned by wealthy lords

and knightsThese landowning nobles needed the leisure to

pursue war and their feudal obligations – no time to farm

Instead peasants worked the lands of these estates

Manor lords gave the peasants protection and plots of land for themselves and their families

In return, the peasants had to farm the lord’s land, along with other services

Most of the peasants were serfsSerfs = peasants who are legally bound to the land, the

manor on which they serveThey were not slaves (could not be sold), but they

were not free to leave the manor or marry without the lord’s permission

Serfdom was hereditarySerfs worked the lord’s land, helped maintain the

estate, paid rent, and were under the lord’s controlThe manor lord also had the right to try serfs in his

own courts

Legal rights of serfsLand usually could not be taken awayResponsibilities of the serfs were fixedThe lord was obligated to protect them

Most of a manor’s land was occupied by fields for crops and pasturesHalf the land usually belonged to the lord, the rest the

serfs and free peasants raised food on for themselves and their families and paid rent by giving a share of what they raised

Serfs and free peasants also had to work the lord’s land, and pay to use the lord’s pastures, ponds, and mills

Farmers left part of a field empty for a year so that the soil would be rested and more fertileDeveloped the three-field system of crop rotation

Each manor included a fortified manor house for the noble family and a village where the peasants and serfs livedThe goal was for the manor to be self-sufficient and to provide

economic support for the nobles

Give land, protectionLord Peasant

Farm the land