The Development of Feudalism in Western Europe

Sit near a partner and be ready for a “turn and talk” discussion for each slide.

​

Being able to review what you learned and put it into your own words is an important part of learning.

​

Please participate!

​

• The Middle Ages in Europe began with the Fall of Rome and lasted about 1000 years.
• 476 CE to 1450 CE
• Sometimes called the “Dark Ages”, because of the loss of Roman achievements and education.

(Turn and Talk) What were some of those achievements??

​

When were the Middle Ages (Medieval Times)?

​

• After the empire collapsed, life was dangerous and difficult in Western Europe.
• Trade declined and people worked hard simply to survive and to have enough to eat.
• They also needed to protect themselves from conquest by invading barbarians and neighboring kingdoms.

​

What was life like in Europe after the Fall of Rome?

Turn and Talk: What is the connection between a decline in trade and barbarians??

Here come the Barbarians!

​

​

• Muslims (Followers of Islam from the Middle East and North Africa)
• Magyars (Central Asian People)
• Vikings (From the icy North)

(Turn and Talk)What TYPE of trade would decline? Long-distance or short-distance?

Western Europe was threatened on all sides by 3 main groups:

​

Turn and Talk: Which had the most impact?

• The challenges after the fall of Rome gave rise to the system historians call feudalism (FEWD-ahl-ism).

​

• Feudalism established order and provided protection and safety.

​

Turn and Talk: Do you think safety is more important than freedom to do what you want? How so?

​

​

Why Feudalism?

Political System

“Political” has to do with who is in charge of the government, how people in the government get along with one another, and how they get along with other governments.

• Many Kings and large landowners (lords) rule countries or kingdoms.

​

• Monarch: another word for king or queen.

​

Turn and Talk: Would feudalism work with a different form of government? (Oligarchy/Democracy) Why or why not?

Economic System

“Economic” has to do with how people earn a living and exchange goods or services.

• Most people live and work their entire lives on manors (a farm and its people and villages controlled by a lord, sometimes protected by a castle.)
• Manors are self-sufficient…

turn and talk: what does this mean?

• Few goods came from outside the manor.. The economy is very localized

​

Social System

“Social” has to do with how different groups of people in a society get along with one another and who is considered more important.

​

• Society becomes highly structured, with kings at the top, followed by lords (or nobles), knights, and peasants.
• Knights become highly valued and respected for their loyalty and military skills.
• Turn and Talk: Why are knights an essential ingredient in feudalism? Are they the MOST important? Why or why not?

​

Feudal Hierarchy

​

• This is the feudal hierarchy of medieval Europe. A Hierarchy is any system of people or things ranked above one another

​

Turn and Talk: Do we live in hierarchies today?? Share an example

.

​

Monarchs

• In theory, all the land in the kingdom belonged to the monarch (usually a king, but sometimes a queen).
• A great deal of land was also owned by the Church… this means they are almost “outside” of the influence of the feudal system
• Turn and Talk: What did monarchs control that made them powerful in the middle ages?

Noble Lords & Vassals

• In the feudal system, people pledged loyalty to a monarch or a noble lord—a ruler or powerful landholder.
• In return, they became vassals of the lord. They received protection from that lord and served in the lord’s army in exchange.
• Turn and Talk: A vassal is gifted land in exchange for military service. Can both knights and lords be vassals? Why or why not?

​

Noble Lords and Vassals continued….

• The king kept some land for himself and gave fiefs (FEEFS), land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service. These land grants made vassals loyal to their lords and the king.
• In return, each lord promised to supply the king with knights in times of war. A lord then enlisted lesser lords and knights as his vassals. Often, these arrangements were written down in a feudal contract.
• Turn and Talk: What is an obligation? What is the connection to feudalism?

​

Knights

• Warriors, or knights, fought on behalf of their lords.

(Suits of armor were made of steel which protected knights in battle, but weighed around 65 pounds.)

Lived by a code of chivalry..

Turn and Talk: Who do you think they promised to protect?

​

At the bottom were peasants/serfs.

• Peasants worked the land and were the main system of labor. Serfs are a special kind of peasant… they are not free to leave the lord’s land without permission (nor could they marry w/o permission), and they had to farm his fields.
• During the Middle Ages, people were born into a social class for life. They had the same social position, and often the same job, as their parents.

​

Turn and Talk

• What is social mobility?
• Do people in the feudal system have social mobility?
• What is good about this? What is bad about it?

• Most lords and wealthier knights lived on manors, or large estates. A manor included a castle or manor house, one or more villages, the people, and the surrounding farmland.
• Manors were in the country, far from towns. That meant the peasants had to produce everything the people on the manor needed. Only a few goods came from outside the manor, such as salt and iron.
• Turn and Talk: What would you use salt and iron for back then?

​

The Manor

​

The castle

• Served as a home
• Protected people during times of conflict
• Was a status symbol.
• Turn and Talk: How are castles a status symbol?

​

Peasants and serfs NEED lords to protect them when barbarians come to attack… can you see why this system lasted for so long??

This fortified castle protected the noble landowner and his peasants against attack in the hostile middle ages. Note how the manor house is protected by hills, moat, draw bridge, and location by a major water source.

Turn and Talk: What are the pros and cons of the feudal system?