DEFINITION ORIGIN

THE VIKINGS WERE FROM ESCANDINAVIA. VIKING EXPEDITIONS CONQUERED TERRITORIES IN BRITAIN, FRANCE AND SOUTHERN ITALY THE NORMANS IN NORTH-WEST FRANCE WERE DESCENDANTS OF THE SCANDINAVIAN VIKINGS THE HUNGARIANS CAME FROM WESTERN ASIA. THEY ATTACKED MANY PARTS OF EUROPE BEFORE THEY FINALLY SETTLED IN EASTERN EUROPE. MUSLIM RAIDERS, BASED IN NORTH AFRICA, WERE A THREAT ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST VIKINGS NORMANS HUNGARIANS MUSLIMS THERE WERE ALSO VIKING EXPEDITIONS TO RUSSIA, SICILY AND MANY OTHER PARTS OF EUROPE THEY WERE ALSO KNOWN AS MAGYARS

Viking ships, because of their shallow draft, were able to successfully navigate rivers and streams that many other vessels could not. This allowed the Vikings to raid settlements far upriver from the sea, settlements that frequently were not prepared for an attack from the water. VIKING SHIPS Viking Raiding Party

These feudal lords were granted great estates in exchange for their help Regional power became concentrated in their hands. They had their own castles and personal armies and offered military protection As a result of this the kings did not have that much power because the nobles governed their own territories The peasants who accepted this protection had to work for the nobles becaming serfs (tied to the land)

A LORD GRANTED A FIEF, OR LAND, TO HIS VASSALS IN RETURN FOR SERVICES AND LOYALTY. THE PEOPLE WHO ACCEPTED THESE OBLIGATIONS WERE CALLED VASSALS

BUT THESE NOBLES ALSO GRANTED SMALLER FIEFS TO THE KNIGHTS WHO BECAME THEIR VASSALS. SO VASSALAGE BECAME A NETWORK OF STRONG PERSONAL TIES ACROSS SOCIETY IN PRACTICE, MANY FEUDAL LORDS WERE ENTIRELY INDEPENDENT OF ROYAL AUTHORITY, AND RULED THEIR FIEFS AS IF THEY WERE MONARCHS A KNIGHT MIGHT RECEIVE FIEFS FROM VARIOUS LORDS

FEUDAL KINGS HAD LITTLE EFFECTIVE AUTHORITY BECAUSE MOST OF THEIR TERRITORIES WERE GRANTED TO FEUDAL LORDS.

THE SYSTEM THAT REGULATED THE RELATIONS BETWEEN LORDS AND PEASANTS WAS CALLED THE MANORIAL SYSTEM, OR MANORIALISM. A MANOR WAS A FEUDAL LORD´S FIEF THERE WAS LITTLE TRADE SO THE ECONOMY WAS SELF- SUFFICIENT A FIEF OR MANOR WAS A LARGE AREA BELONGING TO THE KING, NOBLES OR THE CLERGY. THEY WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS: 1)THE DEMESNE 2)THE DEPENDENT HOLDINGS A FIEF OR MANOR WAS A LARGE AREA BELONGING TO THE KING, NOBLES OR THE CLERGY. THEY WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS: 1)THE DEMESNE 2)THE DEPENDENT HOLDINGS

DEMESNE HOLDINGS

 THEY ADMINISTERED JUSTICE  THEY ALSO TOOK DECISIONS ABOUT THE PRIVATE LIVES  FREE PEASANTS HAD TO PAY SPECIAL CHARGES TO USE THE MILL, OVEN AND PRESSES  THERE WERE TALLS,OR TAXES, ON MERCHANTS S WHO CROSSED THROUGH OVER THEIR BRIDGES  THEY ADMINISTERED JUSTICE  THEY ALSO TOOK DECISIONS ABOUT THE PRIVATE LIVES  FREE PEASANTS HAD TO PAY SPECIAL CHARGES TO USE THE MILL, OVEN AND PRESSES  THERE WERE TALLS,OR TAXES, ON MERCHANTS S WHO CROSSED THROUGH OVER THEIR BRIDGES FEUDAL LORDS EXERCISED FULL AUTHORITY ON THEIR MANORS

THE FIEFS WERE SELF- SUFFICENT, THEY PRODUCED EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO LIVE THEY OBTAINED FOOD BY CULTIVATING THE LAND WITH RUDIMENTARY TECHNIQUES AND BASIC TOOLS SUCH AS THE ROMAN PLOUGH, THE SICKLE, THE HOE, AND THE SCYTHE ROMAN PLOUGH THE HOE THE SCYTHE AS A RESULT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION WAS VERY LAW

THEY DID NOT HAVE FERTILISERS SO THEY PRACTISED TWO YEAR ROTATION EACH YEAR THEY ONLY GREW CROPS ON HALF OF THEIR LAND AND LEFT THE OTHER HALF FALLOW 1ST YEAR CROPS FALLOW THIS GAVE THE LAND TIME TO RECOVER ITS FERTILITY, BUT AS A RESULT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION WAS VERY LOW THE MAIN CROPS WERE CEREALS FOR MAKING BREAD 2ND YEAR CROPS FALLOW AS WELL AS AGRICULTURE, THEY HAD LIVESTOCK.