Name: Period: Date:

Feudalism in Medieval Europe

Cinquain

Use the space below to write a cinquain about the first noun that pops into your head when you think about medieval governments. Share with your seating groups once you are done.

Do you think you would like to live under a medieval government?

Goals and Objectives

Students will learn about the development of feudalism and its effect on the political, economic, and geographic life of the middle ages. Students will identify the components of Feudalism and judge its effects on European society.

Feudalism

Name: Period: Date:

Who do you think these men are?

What do you think these men are doing?

Feudalism

Feudalism was a system of -__________ used in the

European Medieval Period.It was characterized as an exchange of loyalty and

________ service in exchange for land and power.

The exchange was solidified in a ________ known as

swearing fealty.This lecture represents

feudalism as it was supposed to work. In the real world it

was messier and less __________.

Why Feudalism DevelopedFeudalism develops when

there is a power ______ after the decentralization of an empire. In this case the

Carolingian.The system was an easy way for the _______ and nobles to retain their power with a

minimum of cost and ______.

Theoretically the ____ owns all the land, which he parcels out to his great nobles, who

divide in among lesser ______, who split into small

Name: Period: Date:

plot to be worked by peasants.

Please identify the most powerful person in the

Feudal system.

Why do you think he is the most powerful?

Many people visualize it as a triangle

The group’s location relates to their power level and

percentage of the population.

Who benefits the most from this

system?

The least?

The Feudal Economy

Economic documents including ______,

writs, and tax documents have

survived.

Vassal

Name: Period: Date:

Circle everyone in the picture who you think

might be a vassal.

The VassalA vassal was anyone not at

the top of the pyramid.A vassal would swear

______ to his overlord, either the king or some

other noble.The vassal would serve his ________, either militarily

or by preforming some other type of labor.

In return he would receive __________ or land.

Fief

Name: Period: Date:

What would you do with a fief if you had one?

A Fief

A fief was a tract of ____ given to a lord or noble by the

_______.In return the lord would

collect _____ for king and provided him with military

assistance if necessary.Often the lord would use his fief to support _______, who

would fight for him when called on.

Land vrs CashIn the feudal system power

is defined by land, not money or treasure. Give three reasons why that

might be.

Protection vrs FreedomA large purpose of the

feudal system was to gain protection. Hypothesize what it would be like to

swear to serve someone in exchange for protection.

Would it be worth it?

The Manor

Name: Period: Date:

What do you think some of the perks of living at a manor

might be? Remember odds are you would be a serf or

peasant.

The Manor

The manor was the major administrative ____.

______ were held there and the lords of the manor were

responsible for tax collection.Manors usually contained a

great house, a _______, and a church.

The _____ was the bases of feudal life. Some manors and the villages attached to them

became _____ which still exist.

The Monarch

Name: Period: Date:

What objects is this monarch shown with that symbolizes

his kingship?

The Monarch

The monarch ruled _______ from the top of the pyramid.Most ruling monarchs during

this time were _____, although a few queens

exercised considerable power.The monarch had extensive

contact with his _____ vassals. Many were related to

him by either blood or ________.

The lives and habits of kings were the best documented of

the period. Objects like _________ accounts tell us what the king was spending

his money on.

The Lords

Name: Period: Date:

What leisure activity do you think these lords are

participating in?

Why would they?

The Lords

The lords were the next step down from the _______.They lived at the manors,

dispensed the king's _______, collected his taxes, and ruled

the _____ or peasants.When the kings required they

were forced to render him military _______, or pay a

fine.

Monarchs and Lords Take a moment to explain the relationship between the monarch

and his lords.

Discuss reasons that relationship might break down with your seating groups what the nobles might have done if it

did.

Name: Period: Date:

The Serfs

Behind the Serfs in this picture is a castle, owned by a

lord.What do you think the serfs

houses were like?

The SerfsThe people at the ______ of

the triangle were the serfs and peasants.

Serfs were tied to their ______ for life, while peasants could move if they wanted to and paid some form of ____ for

the use of land.In exchange for serving their

lord, usually by _______, they received protection from the

lord and his _______.Since serfs had little or no

Name: Period: Date:

_________ few sources discuss what being a serf was

like.

At this point I want to complete the triangle diagram. Work together with you seating groups.

Name: Period: Date:

Once you have completed your triangle you will be critiquing feudalism by answering the question...

Would the people of Medieval Europe been better off with or without feudalism?

Use at least three arguments when answering your question.

Use the back of these notes

____What was given:What was recived:

_____ & _______What was given:What was recived:

_____What was given:What was recived:

Name: Period: Date:

Sources

http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/sbook1i.asp#Feudalism

http://englishversion.smartencyclopedia.eu/index.php/politics/93-feudalism

http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/feudal.html

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/feudalism.htm

http://www.buildinghistory.org/manors.shtml