1. Regional States Germanic invaders toppled Rome’s authority in the late 5 th Century A.D. but no clear successor to centralized authority emerged –The Franks temporarily revived empire; the high point of which was the reign of Charlemagne from 768-814 Charlemagne

2. Regional States After Charlemagne, his successor Carolingians had no effective means of defending against Magyars, Muslims, Vikings, and other invaders In response, European nobles sought to protect their lands and maintain order in their own territories Political authority in early medieval Europe thus devolved into competing local and regional jurisdictions with a decentralized political order –“Feudalism” Viking long ship

4. “Feudalism” There really was no “feudal system” if that implies a neat hierarchy of lords and vassals who collectively took charge of political and military affairs Because the feudal hierarchy arose as a makeshift for defense against invaders, it always had a provisional, ad hoc, and flexible character –There was no “system” However, medieval European society was characterized by: –Fragmentation of political power –Public power in private hands –Armed forces secured through private contracts

5. Medieval Society Early Middle Ages (450-1050) The country was not governed by the king but by individual lords who administered their own estates, dispensed their own justice, minted their own money, levied taxes and tolls, and demanded military service from vassals Usually the lords could field greater armies than the king –In theory the king was the chief feudal lord, but in reality the individual lords were supreme in their own territory Many kings were little more than figurehead rulers

6. Retainees The nobles maintained their armies by offering grants, usually land, to armed retainees In exchange for the grants, the retainees pledged their loyalty and military service to their lords –The retainees gained increased rights over their land, to include the prerogative to pass on their rights to the heirs

7. Political-Military Relationship A close relationship between political and military authorities developed –As a result, political authorities and military specialists merged into a hereditary noble class which lived off the surplus agricultural production that it extracted from the cultivators –Only by tapping into this surplus could the lords and their retainees secure the material resources necessary to maintain their control over military, political, and legal affairs

8. Serfs Free peasants sought protection from a lord and pledged their labor and obedience in exchange for security and land to cultivate Beginning in the mid 17 th Century, this category became recognized as serfs– neither fully slave nor fully free –Not chattel slaves subject to sale by their master –But still owed obligations to the lords whose lands they cultivated

9. Serfs’ Obligations Had the right to work certain lands and to pass those lands on to their heirs In exchange they had to perform labor services and pay rents in kind (a portion of the harvest, chickens, eggs, etc) Male serfs typically worked three days a week for their lords with extra services during planting and harvesting times Women serfs churned butter, spun thread, and sewed clothes for their lords and their families

10. Serfs’ Obligations Since the lord provided the land, the serfs had little opportunity to move and had to get the lord’s permission to do so –Even had to pay fees to marry someone who worked for a different lord

11. Manors Manors were large estates consisting of fields, meadows, forests, agricultural tools, domestic animals, and serfs The lord of the manor and his deputies provided government, administration, police services, and justice for the manor Many lords had the authority to execute serfs for serious misconduct In the absence of thriving cities in rural areas, manors became largely self-sufficient communities

12. Transition to the High Middle Ages (1050 to 1400) The regional stability of the early middle ages allowed local rulers to organize powerful regional states –Holy Roman Empire –Capetian France –Norman England –Papal States The kings of England and France used their relationships with retainees to build powerful, centralized monarchies –Still no one could consolidate all of Europe under a single empire

13. Three Estates of Medieval Society Those who pray –The clergy of the Roman Catholic Church Those who fight –Nobles Those who work –Peasants The result was a society marked by political, social, and economic inequality

14. Chivalry Church officials originally proposed a chivalric code to curb fighting within Christendom By the 12 th Century, the ritual by which a young man became a knight commonly included the candidate placing his sword upon an altar and pledging his service to God

15. Chivalry With chivalry, warriors were encouraged to adopt higher ethical standards and refined manners and become cultivated leaders of society The chivalric code called for a noble to devote himself to the causes of order, piety, and the Christian faith rather than seeking wealth and power

16. How was order maintained in the Early Middle Ages?

17. In the absence of a strong centralized authority, local political and military elites worked out various ad hoc ways to organize and protect their territories –Lords and retainees –Manors –Serfs

18. How was order maintained in the High Middle Ages?

19. The regional stability of the Early Middle Ages allowed powerful regional states to be built, but there was still no single European Empire The code of chivalry helped provide some order and protection for those who otherwise would be most vulnerable to unchecked power