Feudal Society...
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Feudal Society (diagram)
Facing invasions by Vikings, Muslims, and Magyars, kings and emperors were too weak to maintain law and order. People needed to defend their lands and homes. In response to the need of protection, a new system, called feudalism evolved. Feudalism was a major impact on the society. Under this system, everyone had a well defined place in society. At the head was the monarch, or the emperor. Peasants, who made the most of the population, were at the bottom. All of the levels were related, and they were dependent of one another.
The feudal system was a way of government based on obligations between the lord or the king and the vassal.
The lord gave large estates to his vassals or sometimes friends and relatives. These estates known as the fief included houses, barns, tools, animals, and serfs or peasants. The lord also promised to protect the vassal on the field or in the courts. In return the vassals who were granted the fiefs swore an oath of loyalty to the lord. The lords promised to fight against the enemies and rivals.
Each of the lord's vassals was also a lord or tenant in chief with vassals of his own. Each vassal would be an overlord to those he granted fiefs while remaining a vassal of the lord. The subtenants in turn subdivided the land. Sometimes there were many levels of lords who had vassals under them.
The most important promise of the vassal to the lord was the military. The vassal usually served as a knight. This service lasted about 40 to 60 days a year. If they actually had to fight in a war they usually did so for two months. If there was no war the knights did 40 days of training at the castle.
The feudal system was a way of government based on obligations between the lord or the king and the vassal.
The lord gave large estates to his vassals or sometimes friends and relatives. These estates known as the fief included houses, barns, tools, animals, and serfs or peasants. The lord also promised to protect the vassal on the field or in the courts. In return the vassals who were granted the fiefs swore an oath of loyalty to the lord. The lords promised to fight against the enemies and rivals.
Each of the lord's vassals was also a lord or tenant in chief with vassals of his own. Each vassal would be an overlord to those he granted fiefs while remaining a vassal of the lord. The subtenants in turn subdivided the land. Sometimes there were many levels of lords who had vassals under them.
The most important promise of the vassal to the lord was the military. The vassal usually served as a knight. This service lasted about 40 to 60 days a year. If they actually had to fight in a war they usually did so for two months. If there was no war the knights did 40 days of training at the castle.
Relationships between the peasant and the lord:
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Peasants
The heart of the medieval economy was the manor, or lord's estate. Most manors included one or more villages and the land surrounding it too. Peasants, who made the majority of this society, lived and worked on the manor.
Most of the peasants who were bounded to the land, were serfs and not slaves; who could be bought and sold. Yet they weren’t free at all. They couldn’t leave the land without the lord's permission and agreement. However if the manor was granted to a new lord, the serfs went along with it.
Both the peasants and their lords were tied together by mutual rights and responsibilities. Peasants worked for the whole day farming the lord's domains. They had other obligations to do like repairing the lord's roads, bridges and fences. They also paid the lord a fee when they married, when they inherited their father's acres, or when they used the local mill to grind grain. They paid with products such as grain, fruit, honey, eggs or chicken, because money was largely disappeared from medieval Europe.
In return for this lifetime work, peasants had the right to farm several acres for themselves. They were also protected from Viking raids or feudal warfare, by their lords. Finally, they were guaranteed food, housing, and land.
Most of the peasants who were bounded to the land, were serfs and not slaves; who could be bought and sold. Yet they weren’t free at all. They couldn’t leave the land without the lord's permission and agreement. However if the manor was granted to a new lord, the serfs went along with it.
Both the peasants and their lords were tied together by mutual rights and responsibilities. Peasants worked for the whole day farming the lord's domains. They had other obligations to do like repairing the lord's roads, bridges and fences. They also paid the lord a fee when they married, when they inherited their father's acres, or when they used the local mill to grind grain. They paid with products such as grain, fruit, honey, eggs or chicken, because money was largely disappeared from medieval Europe.
In return for this lifetime work, peasants had the right to farm several acres for themselves. They were also protected from Viking raids or feudal warfare, by their lords. Finally, they were guaranteed food, housing, and land.
The World of Warriors:
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Knights; mounted warriors
Feudal lords were constantly battling for power and strength, and for feudal nobles warfare was a way of life. Many nobles trained from the age of seven for a future occupation as a knight, or a mounted warrior. Boys at the age of seven were sent to learn how to ride and fight. They were also taught how to keep their armor and weapons in good conditions. When their training was finished, at the age of twenty-one, the boy was ready to be a knight.