The Middle Ages

1
The Middle Ages

• Feudalism in Europe

2
Key Terms

• Lord
• Fief
• Vassal
• Knight
• Serf
• Manor
• Tithe

3
Invaders Attack

• Invasions destroyed the Carolingian Dynasty.
• Vikings invaded from the North, raiding villages
  and monasteries
• Magyars attacked from the East, coming from
  present-day Hungary and excellent horsementaking
  captives as slaves
• Muslims attacked from the south with goal of
  conquering and settling in Europe

4
Protecting Lands

• Widespread disorder and suffering
• Kings not able to defend their lands
• People turned towards local rulers who had own
  armies, instead of centralized leaders, like
  kings
• Rulers that could fight invaders gained followers
  and political strength

5
Feudalism

• System of a king giving land to warriors in
  exchange for pledge of loyalty to the king
• Based on rights and obligations
• A lord, or landowner, gave land called a fief to
  a vassal , who pledged loyalty to the lord.

6
Feudal Pyramid
7
Feudalism

• Kings were at the top of the pyramid and
  controlled the kingdom
• Next on the pyramid was the wealthy landowners
  such as nobles and bishops who promised
  protection for the king in exchange for land
• Knights then promised to defend the lords lands
  in exchange for a fief
• Peasants were at the bottom of the pyramid and
  worked the fields in exchange for food and
  shelter.

8
Social Classes

• Status determined prestige and power
• 3 groups or classes
• Those who fought (nobles and knights), those who
  prayed (men and women of the church), and those
  that worked (peasants)
• Most people were peasants, and most peasants were
  serfs
• Serfs could not leave land where they were born,
  but were not slaves (could not be bought or sold,
  and were allowed to live peacefully as long as
  lord was provided food)

9
Manors

• Economic piece to feudalism
• Manor was the lords estate
• Lord provided serfs with housing, farmland, and
  protection
• In return serfs tended land, cared for animals,
  and tasks to maintain the estate
• All peasants owed lord a few days of labor per
  week and portion of their grain

10
Taxes on Peasants

• Taxed on all grain ground in the lords mill
• Avoiding tax by not using the mill would be
  treated as a crime
• Tax on marriage, and had to be approved by the
  lord
• Tithe-church tax of 1/10 of your income

11
Life of a Peasant
12
Reflection

• Describe the purpose of using feudalism.