Agriculture and the Estate System
by: Shayrin Oad and Devika Godbole
The Agriculture of High Middle Europe
Agriculture and Crops
- Before the year 1000, Europeans mostly ate grains
- Becase of population pressures, more land was taken over and so agriculture increased
- They also experimented with different cycles of crop rotation and new crops such as vegetables
- Started keeping more domesticated animals
New Agricultural Technology
- Expanded use of watermills and heavy plows
- Invented the horseshoe and the horse collar
Guilds
- Set standards of quality for manufactured goods
- Sometimes made people change their techniques
- Also regulated the entry of new workers into their groups
The Estate System in High Middle Europe
The Three Estates
- "Those who pray" included the clergy of Roman Catholic church, the spiritual estate
- "Those who fight" include feudal nobles, the military estate
- "Those who work" the mostly peasants and serfs
- Widely recognized code of ethics and behavior for feudal nobles
- Church officials directed chivalry toward Christian faith and piety
- Aristocratic women promoted chivalric values by patronizing troubadours
- Troubadours drew inspiration from the love poetry of Muslim Spain
- Supported troubadours, promoted good manners, refinement, and romantic love
- Code of chivalry and romantic poetry softened manners of rough warriors