Feudalism Ch 8 sec 2

What is Feudalism? A loosely organized system of rule in which local lords divided their landholdings among lesser lords in exchange for their loyalty and service. Developed from the need of protection. Vikings and others were invading Europe. Killing and plundering.

Feudal Contract A contract between the lord and his vassal. Made official with a public ceremony in which the vassal places his hands between the lords and vows to be loyal. (called Homage) What if a vassal pledges to multiple lords? Lords are made up of Kings, Dukes, Counts, Barons, Bishops, and Archbishop.

Lord’s Obligations Protection from attacks Gives fiefs to his vassals Fiefs are estates of land given by lords Everything on the fief is then owned by the vassal. Land,Buildings,Forests,Streams, and People

Vassal’s obligations Lesser lord Must give at least 40 days of military service to their lord. Must give money payments several times a year to their lord. Must attend special events (lord’s children’s wedding) Give military advise.

Knight A mounted warrior Trained from the age of 7 (sent to the castle of his father’s lord) Page: Cleans armor and weapons takes care of horses. Squire (age 10 -14) is assigned to a knight. Learns fighting skills. He will carry shield and armor for his knight. He would tend to his knight if injured in battle. Age 21 dubbed as a knight

Knight Tournaments – mock battles between knights where they train for war. Sharpen their fighting skills. Tournament could be dangerous – knights could be injured or killed. Catholic Church and Kings tried to outlaw the tournaments. Why? Herald – tell the praise of their knights. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrENw_6te78

Knights - Chivalry A code of ethics (conduct) for the knight. It focused on defending the church, king, women, and the defenseless. To treat captives as honored guests Fight for glory not riches. Treat women with respect. Brave and honor

Middle Aged Serfs - residence Lived and worked on a manor, or an agricultural estate, run by a Lord. Bound to the land. Could not be kicked off and not allowed to leave without the lords permission. If escaped and avoided detection for 1 year, they obtained their freedom. Is the lord going to hunt them down?

Serf’s duties and rights Was required to work the lords land, build barns, ditches, roads. Paid the lord for the use of his land – food. Paid the lord for the use of the mill, streams, ponds, forests. Serf’s land could not be taken away. Serf was provided protection by the lord.

Serf’s life Most serfs worked at least 3 days a week for their lord and 3 days on their own plot of land. Sunday was a day off that was spent in the manor church. Feast days were holidays of the Catholic church in which the serfs were off to celebrate. 50 days in total. The main diet for the serf was bread, vegs., cheese, nuts, berries, fruits, and eggs. Meat was rarely eaten except on feast days. Ale was the main drink.