1. Aim: How did Feudalism bring stability to Europe?
Do Now:
The principal runs the school. The APs run each department. The teachers run each class.
If you were in charge, what changes to that system would you make?

2. Copy Vocabulary Lord: Landowner
Vassal: person receiving land from a lord.
Manor: Lord’s estate
Fief: land granted by a lord to a vassal.
Knight: warrior on horseback who promised to defend his lord’s land in exchange for a fief.
Serf: peasant who could not lawfully leave the place where he or she was born.
Tithe: Church tax; usually one-tenth (1/10) of a peasant family’s income.

3. Activity #1: Look at the timeline below and answer questions 1-3 in your notebook
1. Which event caused the start of the Middle Ages? 2. Which two historic periods are connected by the Middle Ages? How does this fact explain why the period is called the Middle Ages? 3. How many years did the Middle Ages last?

4. Activity #2
Read the Feudalism Handout- answer questions 1-3 and complete the diagram

5. Feudalism

6. Activity #3 Identify who the passage is about
1. ________________________________ I own more land than I can defend or rule so I have powerful nobles to serve and defend my kingdom. For these services I give my nobles some of my land. This land is called a feud. From feud we get the name feudal system, a political system of based on land. 2.__________________________________ I live in a stone castle that I built to protect myself from attacks against my enemies. I am the real ruler of the kingdom. All the people who live on my land or manor (a large estate or farm) obey my laws rather than those of the distant king. 3.____________________________________ I am a noble's son who was trained as a soldier. When I was seven, I was sent to another noble's castle to serve as a page where I ran errands and I waited tables. When I was fourteen, I became a squire. I served a knight, taking care of his horses, weapons and armors. When I am not at war, I live on the manor and do all thee work in the castle and help defend it. We are also bound by the code of chivalry, which is a code of behavior that stresses loyalty and honor. 4.___________________________________ I live and work on the land that belongs to my noble. I am treated slightly better than a slave. My lord cannot sell me or give me to anyone else, but I am not free. I have to stay on the land all my life, no matter which lord owns the land. My job is to farm my noble's land, bake his bread, repair the castle walls, take care of his weapons, make his clothing, and do many jobs around the castle. In return for my services I am given a small strip of land which I can raise my own food and livestock. I must give a share of my own crops and animals to my noble. I am also given protection, which is extremely important in these times of chaos.

7. Summary
How did Feudalism bring stability to Europe?