Middle Ages: Development of Feudalism-Essential Questions
What social classes existed within the feudal system?
Monarch, lords, knights, and peasants
What were the defining characteristics of each class?
Monarch: Top class, ruled their kingdom, divided the land and governed their people. Lords: Had castles and manors, governed their area and set laws, and raised army. Knights: Fought wars for their lord and king and competed in many tournaments. Peasants: Grew food for the people, lowest class, provided many services.
Describe the differences in the daily lives of monarchs, lords, knights, and peasants.
Monarchs: Governed their kingdom and kept order. Lords: Oversaw households, were judges and governors, defended the land, and enjoyed hunting, feasting, dancing, and board games. Still, lives were not always easy. The castles could be gloomy and cold, privacy was at a minimum, disease was a large concern, and war was a problem. Knights: lived by chivalry, competed in jousts and tournaments, and fought with enemy knights and armies.
Describe the responsibilities of monarchs, lords, knights, and peasants.
Monarchs: Kept order and provided protection for their vassals in return for their loyalty. Lords: Managed and defended land, appointed officials to supervise the peasants and make sure they did their duties, were judges, and fought for people of higher rank or supplied an army. Knights: Fought for their lord, practiced chivalry, had acts of gallantry, and were loyal to their church and lord. Peasants: Free peasants paid rent on the land they worked, and serfs paid rent in the form of labor. They grew food and ground grain, paid taxes like yearly head money, tallage (a tax that could be implemented at any time if the lord needed money) and merchet (marriage tax).
How did feudalism work?
People were bound to one another by promises of loyalty. The land belonged to the monarch, and then divided the land he did not want to lords. The lords promised to assist him in times of war, and the lords and knights below the lord agreed to assist him. The peasants made food and did other services for the kingdom and rented land in exchange for protection from the lord.
Why and how did feudalism develop in western Europe?
The people of western Europe needed a source of protection from many invading threats with order. As a result, they invented a system in which people of higher classes provided protection for lower classes in return for their loyalty to them. This allowed people to be safe and happy with cooperation between classes.
How did monarchs justify and maintain their power?
They believed in the divine right of kings, meaning that God gave them the right to rule the people. Much work was needed to keep the balance of power in order, and it was difficult to keep the needed vassals to provide an army and funds without losing much power. They had to keep control over the nobles and other vassals in order to protect the balance of order.
What two challenges did people face after the collapse of the Roman Empire?
They had to work very hard just to survive and feed their families, and protection was a constant concern, with invasion easily possible.
How did Clovis and Charlemagne help spread Christianity?
Clovis: led Franks to Christianity by marrying a Christian woman and baptizing in Roman Catholic Church. Many of his followers also became Christian. Charlemagne: built empire with help of Church and Pope, and the message of God's help from the church along with him becoming Holy Roman Emperor made many subjects change to Christianity.
