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From the fury of the Norseman, save us O Lord
HOW was this prayer answered?
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The Feudal and Manorial Systems
Objective to identify how In Europe during the
Middle Ages, the feudal and manorial systems
governed life and required people to perform
certain duties and obligations.
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The Feudal System
Knights did not exist at the beginning of the
Middle Ages but began to emerge as the period
progressed.
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Fiefs and Vassals

• Knights were usually paid for their services with
  land
• Land given to a knight for service was called a
  fief.
• Anyone accepting a fief was called a vassal.
• The person from whom he accepted the fief was his
  lord.
• Historians call the system of exchanging land for
  service the feudal system, or feudalism.

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Feudal Obligations

• Oath of Fealty
• Lords and vassals in feudal system had duties to
  fulfill to one another.
• A knights chief duty as vassal was to provide
  military service to his lord.
• He had to promise to remain loyal A promise
  called the oath of fealt.y

• Financial Obligations
• Knight had certain financial obligations to lord.
• Knight obligated to pay ransom for lords release
  if captured in battle.
• Gave money to lord on special occasions, such as
  knighting of son.

• Lords Obligations
• Lord had to treat knights fairly, not demanding
  too much time or money.
• He had to protect the knight if he was attacked
  by enemies.
• He had to act as judge in disputes between knights

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A Complicated System
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The Manorial System
The feudal system was a political and social
system. A related system governed medieval
economics. This system was called the manorial
system because it was built around large estates
called manors.
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A Typical Manor

• Most of the manors land was occupied by fields
  for crops, pastures for animals.
• Middle Ages farmers learned that leaving a field
  empty for year improved soil.
• In time, this practice developed into three-field
  crop rotation system.

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Daily Life in the Middle Ages

• Life in a Castle
• Life in the Middle Ages was not easy. They did
  not have comforts we have today.
• Early castles were built for defense, not
  comfort.
• They had few windows. They were stuffy in summer,
  cold in winter, and dark always.

• Space
• Nobles had to share space with others, including
  soldiers and servants.
• Private rooms were very rare.
• Main room was the hall. It was a large room for
  dining and entertaining.

• Bedrooms
• In early castles, the noble family bedrooms were
  separated from main area by sheets.
• Later castles had separate bedrooms with nearby
  latrines.
• A wooden bathtub was placed outside in warm
  weather, inside near fireplace in winter.

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Life in a Village
Despite discomforts, life in a castle was
preferable to life in a village. The typical
village family lived in a small wooden one-room
house. The roof was made of straw, the floor of
dirt, and the furniture of rough wood. Open holes
in the walls served as windows.
The family rose before dawn. Men went to work in
the fields women did chores. During harvest, the
entire family worked in the field all day.