History Chapter 13.2 Feudalism in Europe

What were the three social classes of the feudal system?

1. Those who fought - nobles and knights 2. Those who prayed - men and women of the church 3. Those who worked - the peasants

feudal system

A political and social system based on the granting of land in exchange for loyalty, military assistance, and other services

What obligations did a peasant have to the lord of the manor?

All peasants, weather free or serf, owed the lord certain duties. These included at least a few days of labor each week a certain portion of their grain, taxes on all the grain ground at the lords mill, a tax on marriage and a tithe, or tax paid to the church.

Main idea

Feudalism, a political and economic system based on land-holding and protective alliances, emerges in Europe

How was a manor largely self-sufficient both militarily and economically during the early Middle Ages?

The manor system rested on a set of rights and obligations between the lord and his serfs. The lord provided the serfs with housing, farmland and protection from bandits. In return the surfs tended the lord's land, cared for his animals and performed other tasks to maintain the estate. and they paid their lord taxes on all the grain ground at the lords mill, on marriage and they paid a tithe to the church.

Why it matters now

The rights and duties of feudal relationships helped shaep today's forms of representative government.

How were the Vikings different from earlier Germanic groups that invaded Europe?

They carried out their raids with terrifying speed and then moved out to sea again.

What was the main reason feudalism developed?

Treaty of Verdun broke up the kingdom. Political turmoil and constant turmoil led to feudalism. Invaders attacked, the king could not protect them so they turned to local leaders who could fight the invaders. Whoever could fight the invaders gained followers and political strength.

tithe

church tax which equaled one-tenth of their income

lord

landowner

knights

mounted horsemen who pledged to defend their lord's land in exchange for fiefs.

serfs

peasants who could not lawfully leave the place they were born

What benefits do you think a medieval manor provided to the serfs who lived their?

privilege of living on the land. Serfs accepted their lot in life as part of the Church's teachings. They believed that God determined a person's place in society.

What groups invaded Europe in the 800's?

the Vikings from the north, the Magyars and Muslims from the East and South

fief

the land that was granted

manor

the lord's estate

vassal

the person receiving the land grant