1. Middle Ages

2. Medieval Society Nobility Clergy Peasants Kings and Queens Rulers
Lords and Knights
Controlled the land
Clergy
Church officials
Peasants
Majority of the population
Worked the land and served the nobles

3. Feudalism
Developed as a result of frequent invasions in western Europe
Kings and nobles needed a way to protect their lands.

4. Feudalism Lords divided their lands into estates called fiefs.
Fiefs were given to vassals.
A person granted land in return for loyalty or military service
All nobles were vassals to the king

6. Feudal Obligations Knights Obligation to Lord
Lord’s Obligation to Knights
Provide military service and protection
Remain loyal and faithful
Give Land
Resolve disputes between knights

7. Constructing the Pyramid Feudal Power
SERFS

8. Constructing the Pyramid of Feudal Power
KNIGHTS
LABOR
PROTECTION
SERFS

9. Constructing the Pyramid of Feudal Power
POWERFUL
NOBLES
LAND
LOYALTY AND
MILITARY SERVICE
KNIGHTS
LABOR
PROTECTION
SERFS

10. Constructing the Pyramid of Feudal Power
KING
LOYALTY AND
SERVICE
LAND
POWERFUL
NOBLES
LAND
LOYALTY AND
MILITARY SERVICE
KNIGHTS
LABOR
PROTECTION
SERFS

11. King (Monarch)
Kings pledged to keep order to protect their vassals.

12. Lords
Responsible for managing and defending the manor and acted as local judges.

13. Knights
Highly trained mounted soldiers who were expected to be loyal to their kings, lords, and church.
They acted as law enforcement for the lord.

14. Serfs Peasant farmers who were tied to the land they worked.
Some were carpenters, shoemakers, or smiths.
Serfs paid taxes to their local lords.

15. Write under graphic organizer
Feudalism was a system of promises (land, protection for service, and loyalty) that governed the relationships between lords and their vassals.

16. Check for Understanding
What was the lord’s obligation to the knight?

17. Manorial System
An economic system in the Middle Ages that was built around large estates called manors
Included a village and the land surrounding it

18. Manorial System Manors were self sufficient
Most things needed for daily life were produced on the manor

20. Manorial System
Serfs
Peasants who lived and worked on the lord’s manor
Were not allowed to leave the manor or marry without the lord’s permission
Were allowed to farm on the manor in return for work
Lords were required to protect the serfs

21. Manorial System The life of a serf was harsh Worked long hours
few lived past 35 years old
Based on heredity
You were a serf if you parents were

22. Manorial System The Harshness of Manor Life
Peasants pay taxes to use mill and bakery; pay a tithe to priest
Tithe—a church tax—is equal to one-tenth of a peasant’s income
Serfs live in crowded cottages with dirt floors, straw for beds
Worked long hours
raising crops, livestock; feeding and clothing family
Poor diet, illness, malnutrition make life expectancy 35 years
Serfs generally accept their lives as part of God’s plan

23. Manorial System Freemen
skilled workers who paid rent to nobles and could leave the manor
Ex. Blacksmith and millers

24. Let’s see how much you remember!
Manorial System
Let’s see how much you remember!
Everyone owed loyalty to the ________
Nobles were near the top of the social hierarchy . They got _______ from the king.
Lesser nobles (knights) gave _________ _________ in return for land
_______ were bound to the land. They worked in return for ____________.
__________ were skilled workers. They paid rent to the ______ and were free to move if they wanted to.

25. Check Your Answers Everyone owed loyalty to the king.
Nobles were near the top of the social hierarchy. They got land from the king.
Lesser nobles (knights) gave military service in return for land.
Serfs were bound to the land. They worked in return for protection.
Freemen were skilled workers. They paid rent to the nobles and were free to move if they wanted to.

26. Closure What was the Manorial System How were manors self sufficient?
Explain why feudalism developed in western Europe.