In the beginning of the Middle AgeThere were many wars, so it was difficult for

merchants to travel (commerce in cities decreased).

People moved to the countryside. They lived in village because cities became smaller and poorer due to the wars.

The Catholic religion became important in all aspects of daily life.

And there were more changes in the society.

The society in the Middle AgesSociety was divided into three main groups:

Nobility (King, Feudal lord and knights), clergy (bishop) and peasants ( free men and serfs).

People of the Middle ages Nobility:

A king (or lord) ruled large areas of land. To protect his land from invasion, the king gave parts of it to local lords, who were called vassals. In return, his vassals promised to fight to defend the king's land.

Feudal lords. They were nobles who lived in castles. They were the king’s vassals , his loyal followers. They ruled lands granted to them by their king. Those lands were called fiefs. Within a fiefs, a vassal acted as a local lord and could give portions of it to vassals of his own. Someone might be the vassal of one person, but the lord of another. Feudal lord offered protection and food in exchange for loyalty and service.

Knights : they were warriors who fought on horseback. In return for land, they pledged themselves as vassals to the lord (or king) (lord’s vassal). Only the sons of lords could become Knights. They defended his land in exchange for food and a parcel of land.

Candidates for knighthood began training as pages at the age of 7, learning social graces and skills such as fencing and hunting. At 13 or 14 they became squires and began to practice fighting on horseback. Squires served as assistants to knights both in the castle and on the battlefield. At 21 a squire could become a knight himself, kneeling before the lord of the manor to be "dubbed" on the shoulder with a sword.

Kings, local lords, and knights were all part-of a ruling class that called itself

noblemen

Clergy: Bishops were the leaders of the church, serving under the pope, the bishop

of Rome. Most bishops were noblemen. Bishops supervised the church's priests, monks and nuns and administered its business. In many parts of Europe the church owned vast areas of land and commanded a large number of knights. In the early Middle Ages, it was not unusual for a bishop to lead his own knights into battle.

Priests provided spiritual instruction and conducted religious ceremonies in local, or parish, churches.

Frairs were traveling preachers who lived by begging and spread the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi.

Peasants (worked on the lands of feudal lords): Free men: They cultivates their lord’s field and received part of the

harvest.

Serfs or lord’s slaves: They worked in the field or in the lord’s castle.They lived in small communities called manors that were ruled by a local lord or vassal. Most peasants were serfs. They were bound to the manor and could not leave it or marry without the manor lord's permission. Serfs did all the work on the manor farm: they worked the fields, cared for the livestock, built and maintained the buildings, made the clothing, and cut firewood. Men, women, and children worked side by side. Serfs had small plots of land they could work for themselves; sometimes a serf saved enough money to buy his freedom and became a freeman.

Servants were peasants who worked in the lord's manor house, doing the cooking, cleaning, laundering, and other household chores.

A feudal lord lived on his land with his knights, his free men and his serfs.

When someone attacked a lord’s land, the peasant and serf went to the castle for protection. The lord’s knights defended his land.

What is feudalism?A new social economic system develop, called

feudalism. The king gave land (fiefs) to the Feudal lords

in exchange for loyalty, service and military help. Feudal lords offered protection and food for loyalty and service. Knights defended his land in exchanged for food and a parcel of land. The peasenants worked on the lands.

Rebirth of citiesIn the 13th century, medival cities started

growing and becoming prosperous again.In the medival cities, streets were narrow

and buildings were close together. Cities were usually surrounded by walls for protection

Many different people lived in cities: Nobles, bishops, artisants merchants, poor people and beggars

Now…