The Medieval Period

Social Structure

King and Queen Ruled over all of the land except

for the Church

Nobles Paid taxes to kings for favors and

positions at court Position of power over local

villages

Knights and Vassals Served nobles (militarily or

otherwise) in exchange for land

Commoners Known as peasants or serfs, did

not own land, worked on the Knights and Nobles land

KING

LORDS (VASSALS TO KING)

KNIGHTS (VASSALS TO LORDS)

Fief and Peasants

Military Aid

Food Protection Shelter

Food Protection Shelter

PEASANTS (SERFS)

Pay Rent

Fief and Peasants

Farm the Land

Homage Military Service

Loyalty MANORIALISM: ECONOMIC SYSTEM

Agriculture the basis for wealth

Lands divided up into self-sufficient manors

Peasants (serfs) worked the land and paid rent In exchange for protection

Barter the usual form of exchange

FEUDALISM: POLITICAL SYSTEM

Decentralized, local government

Dependent upon the relationship between members of the nobility

Lord and his vassals administered justice and were the highest authority in their land

Role of Women Unmarried women had some rights:

Enter the convent instead of marry Own property Own small business Women in higher classes had some political

power

Married women gave over all their rights to their husband when they were married

All women worked in some capacity to contribute to society on the whole, jobs depended on social rank (run the home, give birth to sons, manual labor, etc)

Violence against women was common

Women were naturally sinful according to the Bible (story of Adam and Eve)

FeudalismThe manor was the lord’s

estate. The manor system was an

economic arrangement between a lord and his serfs.

The lord would provide serfs with housing, strips of farmland,

and protection from bandits.In return, the serfs tended the

lord’s lands, cared for his animals, and performed other tasks to maintain the estate.

The manor was largely a self-sufficient community.

The Church The Catholic Church was the only

church in Europe during the Middle Ages, and it had its own laws and large income.

Church leaders such as bishops and archbishops sat on the king's council and played leading roles in government.

Bishops, who were often wealthy and came from noble families, ruled over groups of parishes called dioceses.

The Parish Priest tended to the sick and indigent and taught Latin and the Bible to the youth of the village

Characteristics of Medieval Literature Romance

Tells of exploits of knights Often a supernatural element

involved

Christian message concern with salvation and the

world to come only interest in spiritual change

Heroism Beowulf Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Literature as moral lesson loyalty to king chivalry