Unit # 3 – Middle AgesLesson # 2 – Feudalism pp. 382-391

Objective and Bell Ringer

• Bell Ringer: On new page, complete “Rome Falls” portion of the Flow Chart (see above if missed class)

• Objective: Describe how loyalty was used as a means of survival

• Homework: Further Thinking worksheet-Class• Feudal Name Game• Notes-Explaining Relationships & Feudal Pyramid• Notes-Costs and Benefit Analysis• Quiz – Fall of Rome and Feudalism next class• Homework: Read pp. 382-391; Use textbook link on wiki pagehttp://avidworld.weebly.com/textbook-world-history.html

REVIEW-What was going on in Europe?•Rome fell

▫Why?•People are without a leader, a

government, protection, or money▫What should they do?

• In order to protect themselves, they band together-manorial system▫www.classzone.com Hierarchy of Feudalism

Chpt. 9 Animated Geography- Describe each level as you copy the organizer.

FEUDALISM

THE FEUDAL AND THE MANORIAL SYSTEMS

Feudal System• Developed out of the need for protection from invaders

– People wanted land and protection, and there was no central gov’t (Rome had fallen)

• Nobles could no longer count on their king for protection, so they had to find a way to defend their own lands– Built castles for defense

• Early castles built out of wood, later castles built out of stone

– Needed trained soldiers for their own private armies, the most important of which were knights

• Knight = highly skilled and heavily armored soldiers who fight on horseback

• Being a knight was expensive – had to purchase weapons, armor, and horses

• Knights demanded payment for their services– Wealth was based on owning land – main source of

income since there was little trade• Most knights were paid with land for their services

• Vassal = person who owes military service to a lord who has given him land

• Fief = the land given to a vassal for service• Feudal system = the system of exchanging land for

service

Feudalism

GIVES LANDLORDS VASSALS

OWES MILITARY SERVICE

Feudal Obligations• Idea of Vassalage

– Vassalage came from Germanic society where warriors swore an oath of loyalty to their leaders

• The relationship between a lord and vassal was made official by a public act of homage, such as swearing an oath of fealty, or loyalty, to one’s lord– This act of loyalty was at the heart of the feudal

system• Feudal contract – set of unwritten rules that determined

the relationship between lord and vassal– Both the lords and vassals had responsibilities

• Responsibilities of the vassal– Owed the lord military service – usually 40 days a

year– Must promise to remain loyal to lord– Helped to advise the lord– Certain financial obligations, such as paying ransom

for a captured lord and giving monetary gifts on the wedding of the lord’s eldest daughter and knighting of the eldest son

• Responsibilities of the lord– Supported the vassal with a grant of land– Protected the vassal against enemies and in court– Treat vassal fairly and not demand too much of their

time and money– Act as judge in disputes between knights

Knights

• Knights became the dominate part of warfare– Held great prestige and the institution of knighthood

united the nobility– Young knight, with no responsibilities, participated in

tournaments in which knights showed off their skills, with the joust being the main event

• Chivalry = ideal of civilized behavior among knights and nobility– Knights were expected to:

• Defend the Church and defenseless people (especially women)

• Treat captives as honored guests (ransoming other knights = money)

• Noble women could legally hold property, but they still remained under the control of men– The lady of the castle usually managed the large

household, the estate, and the financial accounts– Usually when the lord of the castle was away, he left

his wife in charge

The Manorial System• The feudal system was basically a political and social

system• The manorial system was the heart of medieval

economics– Built around large estates called manors– These manors were usually owned by wealthy lords

and knights– These landowning nobles needed the leisure to

pursue war and their feudal obligations – no time to farm

• Instead peasants worked the lands of these estates

The ManorLarge estates owned

by wealthy lords

– Manor lords gave the peasants protection and plots of land for themselves and their families

– In return, the peasants had to farm the lord’s land, along with other services

• Most of the peasants were serfs– Serfs = peasants who are legally bound to the land, the

manor on which they serve– They were not slaves (could not be sold), but they were

not free to leave the manor or marry without the lord’s permission

– Serfdom was hereditary– Serfs worked the lord’s land, helped maintain the estate,

paid rent, and were under the lord’s control– The manor lord also had the right to try serfs in his own

courts

Give land, protectionLord Peasant

Farm the land

Feudal Name GameFind matching Terms pp. 382-386-Copy in notebook

•loyalty to lord that required military service to be performed•person who gave land to a vassal•land given to a knight for his service•obligation of vassal to lord•person who accepted this land•medieval economic system associated with feudalism•high skilled soldier who fought on horseback•peasants on a manor

Explaining Relationships & Feudal Pyramid•Using the reading from the Feudal Name

Game, explain how the three roles within feudalism were connected.▫Lords▫Knights▫Serfs

•Explain what each role provided to one another by copying and completing graphic organizer on next slide.

Lords Knights Serfs

Lords gave knights… Knights gave lords…

Knights gave serfs…

Serfs gave knights…

Explaining RelationshipsCopy and complete the organizer below to show the relationship between

Lords, Knights and Peasants. What did each group give/take from one another?

Cost-Benefit Analysis

•Look at the different roles that existed during Feudal times on the next slide.▫Write down the two roles that you feel are

the most important and explain why.

Cost-Benefit AnalysisRole Benefits Costs

Lord Admission closed (translation: born into it)

Danger of expulsion or assassination

Knight Admission very limited Danger of going to war

Priest Admission limited; security, free from harsh physical labor of

peasants

Chastity, church discipline, poverty

Monk Admission limited, security Chastity, personal and church discipline, poverty

Nun Admission limited, security Chastity, personal and church discipline, poverty

Banker High standard of living Risky (because carrying money)

Trader Freedom Risky (many variables to run successful shop)

Freeman Independence No guarantee of protection, money

Serf Safety Loss of freedom, poverty

CONFLICTS OF THE MIDDLE AGES

THE HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR AND THE WAR OF THE ROSES

THE HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR•Political instability was a problem of the

late Middle Ages▫The Hundred Years’ War was the most

violent conflict during this period▫It would last from 1337 until 1453

•In 1328 the French king died without a son▫His nephew was King Edward III of England

(his mother had been the king’s sister) Under French law, a woman could not inherit the throne nor a man inherit through a woman

▫He also had a cousin who had served as his regent

▫The French decided that the regent was the rightful heir and he was crowned as Philip VI Edward felt that he was the rightful heir

•King Philip tried to gain back the duchy of Gascony, one of the last possessions that England still had in France▫Due to all of this, Edward declared war on

France and invaded with an army in 1337, starting the war

•The war started out with a lot of knights who viewed battle as a chance to show of their skills▫However, the Hundred Years’ War was a

turning point in the nature of warfare▫Peasant foot soldiers, not knights, won the

major battles in this war

The French relied heavily on armed noble knights Peasants were socially inferior

The English also used knights, but they relied more on large numbers of peasants, who were paid to be foot soldiers English foot soldiers were armed not only with pikes, but also the deadly longbow

It had great striking power, long range, and a rapid rate of fire

•The first major battle was at Crecy in 1346▫The French followed no battle plan, just simply

attacked▫The English archers devastated the French

knights

•At the Battle of Agincourt (1415) 1500 French nobles died on the battlefield▫The English won victory after victory and

now controlled northern France▫The English, under King Henry V,

advanced all the way to the gates of Paris▫The dauphin (heir to the French throne),

Charles, didn’t own enough of France to be crowned as king

•A French peasant girl named Joan of Arc came to the aid of France and her ruler Charles in 1429▫She was born in 1412 to prosperous

parents and was deeply religious▫She believed that her favorite saints had

commanded her to free France by leading the French into battle

•She made her way to court and Charles allowed her to accompany the army to Orleans▫Joan’s army defeated a huge English army▫She led the French in several more

victories▫Joan brought the war to a decisive turning

point by inspiring people with her faith•Joan was captured in 1430 and turned

over to the English▫The English tried her for witchcraft and

condemned her as a heretic▫Joan was then burned at the stake

•After her death, King Charles VII rallied his army and fought on

▫They defeated the English at Normandy and Aquitaine, finally winning the war in 1453

▫French success was helped by the use of gunpowder and the cannon

THE WAR OF THE ROSES• Civil war between the houses of York and Lancaster

over the crown of England▫The house of York had a white rose as their

emblem▫The house of Lancaster had a red rose

• The crown will pass back and forth between the two families for several decades▫The Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 ended the

civil war and saw the crowning of a new king• Henry VII united the two houses by marrying a

princess of the house of York and ending the war▫Elizabeth was the daughter of the late Edward IV▫Henry had her declared legitimate▫Their son, Henry VIII, was heir to both houses

The Black Death•A devastating plague that ravaged Europe

from 1347 to 1351▫Not only Europe, but also China, Central

Asia, and North Africa•Most devastating natural disaster in

European history, with one-third of the population dying

•The most common form of the Black Death was the bubonic plague▫This was usually spread by fleas that lived

on rats▫Another form was called the pneumonic

plague and it was spread through the air by personal contact

•Most historians think it started in 1346 when Mongol armies laying siege to a Black Sea port became sick with the plague▫From there infected rats and fleas got onto

ships▫It usually followed trade routes

•The Black Death was almost always fatal▫First sign of infection was the development

of large dark splotches on the skin▫Other symptoms usually appeared, such as

high fever, vomiting, and severe headaches▫Most people died within a few days

•Many people believed the plague was a punishment sent by God

•The plague led to an outbreak of anti-Semitism (hostility towards Jews) and persecution was the worst in Germany

•The death of so many people had numerous consequences: population declined and lowered the demand for food, which resulted in falling prices▫Landlords were paying more for labor as

their incomes decreased▫This all started to bring the downfall of

the manorial system

•Houses in the cities were crowded together and tall enough that they blocked the sunlight▫Streets were narrow and winding, and

usually filled with animal and human waste

▫These cities were dirty and smelled bad ▫Fire was a great danger because houses

were wooden▫Disease and crime were also problems

Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer•Collection of stories about pilgrims

traveling to Canterbury, England depicting life in the Middle Ages during NormanConquest.

In your notebook, complete Reading Like a Historian p. R63

Homework: Further Thinking

•Compare Feudal times to Modern day society