Feudalism (Trust & Belief)
By: Stephen Perry
I. The King
- The King controls all of the Land.
- King is also known as the highest Lord.
- The government would be called a Monarchy.
- He gives land called a Fief to lesser nobles.
- Castles: Used for shelter and defense. What are a keep, a moat, and a drawbridge?
- A keep is a tower with castles and heavy protection.
- A moat is a broad deep ditch filled with water.
- A drawbridge is a bridge that can draw up to protect the castles from invaders getting in the keep.
II. Nobles
- Nobles were also known as lesser lords.
- They had to give loyalty and military service to the king in exchange for their protection.
III. Church
- Role of Priests - Center of communication to the church.
(Celebrated the mass and administered the sacraments)
- Benedictine Rule - set of rules for order in monasteries
- Canon Law - Church laws which punishment included excommunication with the church.
- Excommunication - being banned from the mass/church
- Interdict - an order excluding a entire town, region, or kingdom from receiving sacraments and Christian burial.
- Friars - monks who did not live in isolated monasteries
- St. Francis of Assisi - founder of the first order of friars (Franciscans)
- Attitude towards Women - Viewed as weak and easily led into sin.
- Opportunities for Women - They could escape the limits of society. (Ex. - Abbess Hildegard of Bingen who was an advisor of men, popes, and rulers.) Nuns lost some rights they enjoyed such as preaching the Gospels. Preferred for women to accept Church authority.
- Jews in Medieval Europe - Spain was the center of Jewish culture and scholarship. Existed all over Europe. Preserved and flourished in present day Spain.
IIII. Knights
- Chivalry - code of conduct for knights to be brave, loyal, and true to their word.
- Training - Harsh and strict, laziness resulted in an angry blow or a severe beating.
- Clothes - Wore armor and carried shields for protection
- Weapons - Horseback(swords, axes, and lances) Foot(daggers, spears, crossbows, and longbows)
- In battle - Fought on horseback and on foot. To prepare for battles, they had mock battles called tournaments.
- Tournaments - Engaged in mock battles called tournaments for training and preparation for battle
V. Serfs
- Life on the land - They were bound to their land with the lord, peaceful, and ordered
- Jobs - Mainly farmers for the lord's land. The were builders to repair his bridges and fences.
- What did they receive for their labor? - they received allowance to farm their own land for themselves which kept feudalism alive
- Three-field farming system - They plant two fields and one is left dormant so it can be left unfertile.