1. Feudalism Western Europe & Japan

2. 4-5th C- Invasions and fall of Rome 6-7th C- constant warfare
Comparative Timeline
Comparative Timeline
EUROPE
Early Middle Ages:
4-5th C- Invasions and fall of Rome
6-7th C- constant warfare
751- Pepin crowned king of Franks;
768- Charlemagne inherits Frank kingdom
804- Saxons convert to Christianity;
814: Charlemagne dies
843- Treaty of Verdun divides Frankish kingdom founds kingdoms of France & Germany
Age of Feudalism (Chivalry):
High to Late Middle Ages
*1066-William the Conqueror enters England
* Song of Roland
Renaissance
(1300s- 1500s)
(Humanism & Advancements)
Reformation & Counter Reformation
Black Death
*1347:plague spreads from
Asia to Europe
Age of Exploration
*1492-Columbus sails
*1549-St. Francis arrives in Japan
*1616- Shakespeare dies
*c1650-Mercantile economy dominates Europe
Growth of monarchy
Clashes between church and monarchs
Crusades
( )
JAPAN
Heian Period
Golden Age of Lit.
( )
* Fujiwara family holds most important gov
Positions
*Tale of Genji
Kamakura
Period
Early Feudalism
( )
Ashikaga or
Muromachi Period
( )
Development of Haiku & No (Noh)
Momoyama
( )
Tokugawa Period
Late Feudalism
( )
Shogunate Period
*1274 & Monguls invade Japan but fought off
* Onin Civil War; Kyoto destroyed in fighting
*1600s: Japan forbids teaching of Christianity, expels missionaries, executes converts
*1603- Tokugawa Ieyasu named Shogun
*early 1700s- Kabuki & puppet plays popular in urban settings
Intellectual
Revival

3. Comparison of Feudalism in Europe and Japan
Europe
Japan
Nobility
king, lord, lesser lord
emperor, shogun, daimyo
Warriors
knights
samurai
Code of conduct
chivalry
bushido
Evolution
Both practices developed in response to the need for security and stability
everyone had well-defined social roles
helped preserve law and order

4. European Feudal Structure
Monarch (King)
Nobles (Lords)
Vassals (Lesser Lords)
Knights
Serfs & Townspeople

5. JAPANESE FEUDAL STRUCTURE

6. Comparison of Warrior Classes
Japanese Samurai
European Knights

7. Feudal Japan 1. Samurai 2. Loyalty 3. Bravery, honor 4
Feudal Japan 1. Samurai 2. Loyalty 3. Bravery, honor 4. Lord-vassal relationship 5. Family lineage important
Feudal Europe 1. Knights 2. Loyalty 3. Bravery, honor 4. Lord-vassal relationship 5. Family lineage important
Similarities between Warrior Classes

8. Differences Between Warrior Classes
Samurai:
1. Seppuku or hari-kari; stoic acceptance of death 2. Lord-vassal relationship based on moral code 3. Any son or adopted son was heir 4. Women should have a samurai attitude - be tough 5. Interest in the arts and learning
Knights:
1. Survival, death as glory limited to the Crusades
2. Lord-vassal relationship based on legal code
3. Only firstborn son was heir
4. Cult of chivalry - women put on pedestal as
fragile, inferior beings
5. Some contempt shown for arts and learning

9. Characteristics of Tokugawa 1600s
Strong centralized government under emperor-shogun
Period of stability & peace
Rigid social structure
Closed country to westerners
Economic prosperity
Wealthy merchant class
Cultural advancements in arts: kabuki, haiku, No(h) theater
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Founder of Tokugawa Shogunate

10. The Shogunate issued explicit orders which defined the proper conduct for each of the classes:
One was ideally expected to be born into and die in the same social position held by one's parents.
Adherence to the doctrine of hierarchy was so strict that families were made to post their hereditary lineage outside their homes.