Feudalism

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Feudalism

• Chapter 9 Section 2

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The end OF THE CAROLINGIAN EMPIRE and invaders

• Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims invaded Europe
  during the ninth and tenth centuries
• Charlemagne held his empire together with his
  strong administrative system
• His death left his empire vulnerable
• Divided into three sections
• 1. West Frankish lands
• 2. Eastern Frankish lands
• 3. Middle Kingdom

Vikings
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invaders

• Muslims attacked the southern coast of Europe and
  France
• Magyars, people form western Asia, moved into
  central Europe
• Vikings (Norsemen from Scandinavia), were
  Germanic people who searched for the spoils of
  war(land, riches, etc) and trade
• Were warriors, superb shipbuilders and sailors
• Normandy Northern France
• Were converted to Christianity

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Development of feudalismknights and vassals

• A system of lords and vassals spread throughout
  Europe after the collapse of the Carolingian
  Empire
• The invaders of Europe posed a threat to the
  safety of the people
• People turned to local landed aristocrats, or
  nobles to protect them, this led to feudalism
• Vassal Warriors who swore their loyalty to
  their leaders and fought for them in battle
• Leaders, in turn, took care of the warriors needs

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Knights and vassals

• Frankish army was originally foot soldiers
  dressed in coats of mail, armed with swords
• Horsemen threw spears on horses
• Larger horses were used when these soldiers were
  dressed in their coats of mail and used stirups
  to keep their places on the horses
• Used large lances as battering rams
• These new soldiers were called knights

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Feudal contract

• Having loyalty to your lord was a chief virtue
• The relationship between a lord and a vassal was
  made official by a public ceremony
• Fief The granting of land to a vassal
• The vassal now had political authority on the
  land
• Single governments were no longer used
• Many different people were now responsible for
  keeping order
• The lord-vassal relationship bound together
  greater and lesser landowners

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Feudal contract

• Feudal contract A set of unwritten rules that
  determined the relationship between a lord and a
  vassal
• The vassal had to perform military service(about
  40 days a year)
• Vassals were required to make payments on certain
  occasions
• The lord had to defend the vassal and take his
  side in a dispute

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Feudal societynobility and chivalry

• Men and women of the nobility were guided by a
  code of ethical behavior and societys
  expectations of their roles
• Society needed to find ways to prevent conflicts
  and violence from tearing the society apart
• The nobility (kings, dukes, counts, barons,
  bishops, and archbishops) formed an aristocracy
  who held political, economic, and social power

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Feudal societynobility and chivalry

• Great lords and knights formed their own common
  group based on land holdings
• Young knights, who had no adult responsibility,
  had little to do but fight
• Tournaments Contests where knights could
  demonstrate their fighting skills
• The joust became the main part of the tournament
• Chivalry Civilized behavior a code of ethics
  that knights were supposed to uphold

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Aristocratic womens roles

• Women could legally hold property, BUT the
  remained under control of men (either their
  husband or their father)
• The lady of the castle had to manage the
  estate(because lords were often away)
• Took care of financial accounts
• Oversaw the household food supply
• Eleanor of Aquitaine
• Most known of these women