1. Section 2 Feudalism in Europe
Chapter 13
Section 2
Feudalism in Europe

2. New invasions Trouble Western Europe
Invasion completely destroyed the Carolingian Empire
Muslims seized Sicily and raided Italy eventually sacking Rome
Magyars terrorized Germany and Italy
From the north the most dreaded attackers of all - Vikings
Vikings: Raiders, Traders, and Explorers
Vikings sail from a cold, wooded region Scandinavia
Called Northmen or Norsemen

3. Worshiped warlike gods
Carried out raids with terrifying speed
Viking warships were awesome - help up to 300 warriors
Not only warriors but traders, farmers, and outstanding explorers
Viking explorer, Leif Ericson most likely reached North America are 1000
About that time Viking terror in Europe faded away
They gradually accepted Christianity and began creating agricultural settlements in Iceland and Greenland

4. Magyars and Muslims
As Viking attacks declined the Magyars began attacking from the east
Superb horseback riders
Invaded western Europe around 800 – not there to conquer land but sell conquered ppl into slavery
Muslims began attacking from the East
Tried to conquer and settle Europe 600’s -700
800’s – 900 their goal was to plunder
These attacks caused widespread disorder
Most Europeans lived in constant danger, central authority proved useless
Began looking to local rulers for security

5. Feudalism Structures Society
Viking Chief Rollo and Charles the Simple, King of France, former enemies met in a peace ceremony
Charles granted Rollo French territory, and Rollo swore a pledge of loyalty in return
A new Social Order
850 – 950, worst years of invading attacks
Ruler and Warriors made agreement all over Europe
System of governing and landowning called feudalism had emerged in Europe

6. Based on mutual obligations
Exchange for military protection and other services, a lord, granted land called a fief
The person receiving a fief was called a vassal
The Feudal Pyramid
Peak was the King
Next – powerful vassals – wealthy landowners like nobles and bishops
Beneath Vassals were knights
Knights – mounted warriors who pledged to defend their lords land in exchange for fiefs
Base – landless peasants who toiled the fields

7. In practice the feudal system did not work so simply
Relationships between lords and vassals were never clear cut
Feudal pyramid became complex tangle with conflicting loyalties – each using them to their own advantage
Social Classes Are Well Defined
Status determined a person prestige and power
Social class was usually inherited
Vast majority of people were peasants – most peasants were serf
Serfs could not lawfully leave the place they were born

8. Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism
Manor – the lords estate
Manor system was a basic economic agreement
Rested on a set of rights and obligations between a lord and his serf
Lord provided the serf with housing, strips of farmland, and protection from bandits
Serfs tended the lords lands, cared for his animals, performed other tasks to maintain the estate

9. A Self Contained World
A lords manor usually consisted of a manor house, a church and workshops
15 to 30 families lived on the manor
Fields, pastures and forests surrounded the village
Streams and ponds provided fish, an important food source

10. The Harshness of Manor Life
Peasants paid a high price for living on the lords land
Taxes on all grain ground at the mill, tax on marriage
Trying to dodge these taxes was treaded as a crime
Paid a tithe, or church tax, 10% of their income
Serfs lived in small huts with dirt floors, bringing in pigs to warm the house at night and sleeping on a pile of straw

11. Chapter 13 Section 3 The Age of Chivalry

12. Warriors on Horseback
Mounted soldiers became valuable during Charlemagne reign
Charles Martel observed the Muslim cavalry
He organized Frankish troops of armored horsemen, or knights
The Warrior’s Role in Feudal Society
11th century, western Europe was a battleground of warring nobles
Lords raised private armies, rewarding knights with fiefs
Fiefs allowed knights to devote their lives to war
Obligation was to serve 40 days in battle a year

13. Knighthood and Chivalry
Knights were expected to display courage in battle and loyalty to their lord
Chivalry – a complex set of ideals, demanded a knight fight bravely in defense of his three masters
Earthly feudal lord
Heavenly Lord
His chosen lady

14. Knights took part in mock battles called tournaments
War Games and Glory
Knights took part in mock battles called tournaments
Trumpets blared, lords and ladies cheered
Tournaments were fierce and bloody competitions
Brutal reality of Warfare
Castles dominated the countryside in Western Europe
Castle was home of the lord and lady, their family, knights and servants
Also a fortress designed for defense

15. Attacking armies used various strategies to force the defenders to surrender
Defenders poured boiling water, hot oil, or molten led on enemy soldiers
The literature of Chivalry
Themes of medieval literature downplayed the brutality of warfare
Songs and poems about a knights undying love for a lady were also popular

16. Epic Poetry
Epic retold stored about legendary heroes of the middle ages like King Arthur and Charlemagne
The Song of Roland – one of the earliest and most famous medieval poems
Praises French soldiers who perished fighting a Muslim invasion

17. Troubadours – poet- musicians at the castles and courts in Europe
Love Poems and Songs
A knights duty to his lady was just as important than the duty to his lord
Troubadours – poet- musicians at the castles and courts in Europe
Composed short verses and songs about the joys and sorrows of romantic love

18. The Shifting Roles of Women
Church viewed women as inferior
The idea of romantic love placed noblewomen on a pedestal
A true knight pledged to protect all women
As feudalism developed the women’s role declined
Most women were poor and powerless
Confined to performing endless labor, bearing children and taking care of the family

19. Women’s Failing Status
Women in Power
In the feudal system a noblewomen could inherit an estate from her husband
Send knights to war and act as a military commander if her husband was away
Women’s Failing Status
As the middle ages progressed, noblewomen had less power
Eleanor of Aquitaine was an exception
As queen of England she would rule when her husband Henry II was away and even later for her sons