Feudalism in Europe

A deal was Made In 911, a deal was made between two former enemies. Charles the Simple (King of France) Rollo (Viking Leader) In the deal, Charles granted the Viking leader a huge piece of French territory. In exchange, Rollo pledged his loyalty to the king.

Rise of Feudalism From the years of 850-950, Europe was withstanding a series of invasions. As a result, a number of agreements between rulers and warriors were made. Out of these agreements, the system of governing and landholding called Feudalism emerged in Europe.

Feudal System The Feudal system is based on rights and mutual obligations. In exchange for military protection and other services, a lord (landowner), granted the land called a Fief. The person receiving a fief was called a vassal. Charles the Simple, the lord, and Rolle, the Vassal, showed how this two-sided bargain worked. Feudalism depended on the control of land.

Social Class Well Defined In the feudal system, status determined a person’s prestige and power. Medieval writers classified people into 3 groups: Those who fought: nobles and knights Those who prayed: men and women of the church Those who worked: peasants Social class was inherited.

Serfs During the Middle ages, the majority of the people were Serfs (peasants who could not lawfully leave the place they were born). Although they were bound to the land, serfs were not slaves. Lords could not buy or sell them. What their labor produced belonged to the lord.

Manors The manor was the lord’s estate. A manor usually covered only a few square miles of land. It typically consisted of: Lord’s manor house A Church Workshops Generally, 15 to 30 families lived in the village on a manor. Fields, pastures and woodlands surrounded the village. Sometimes a stream wound through the manor. Streams and ponds provided fish. The mill for grinding the grain was often located on the stream.

Manor System The manor system rested on a set of rights and obligations between a lord and his serfs. The lord provided the serfs with housing, farmland, and protection from bandits. In return, serfs tended the lord’s lands, which included: caring for the animals, and performed other tasks to maintain the estate.

Knights Mounted warriors who pledged to defend their lord’s land. In exchange for fiefs (plots of land)

Powerful Vassals In charge of the knights were the two most powerful vassals: Wealthy Landowners (Nobles) Church officials (Bishops)

King The king was the highest level in the feudal society. He, like the Emperor in Japan, made deals with the Vassals and sat at the top of society.

Feudalism In its essence, it is based on land ownership. The more land you owned the higher you would be in society. Although the Feudal structure sometimes seems cruel, especially to the serfs, most during the medieval times believed that God determined a person’s place in society.

Today’s Task Medieval knights often carried elaborate shields with their coat of arms represented on the shield in order to identify themselves. So……..Get out your creativity, world history fans!!! This project will be the creation of an item that goes along with our Unit on The Middle Ages!!

Directions Create a coat of arms to represent you and your values and/or your family like knights did in the Middle Ages. Each shield needs to have: Two colors representing your family line or values 4 aspects from the provided sheets: Symbols Animals Plants Etc.. A quote/slogan/motto on or across the shield which represents you, your family or values. THINK ABOUT THE MESSAGE YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE TO PEOPLE USING YOUR COAT OF ARMS Everything needs to be in COLOR!!! Be Creative and Have Fun!!

Final Write Up Write a summary explaining: The Colors --what do they mean and how do they represent you or your family. The Symbols, Animals, Plants -- what do they mean and how do they represent you or your family. The Slogan/Quote -- What does it mean and how does it represent you or your family.