Feudalism

Today in class we took notes on feudalism:

• Feudalism- governmental system and the relationships between landowners and warriors

• Warriors, or knights, would pledge his allegiance o the lord, who would in turn give that knight land

• The lord would grant a fief (property) to the knight who would then become the lords vassal /servant 

• Fief is a part old the land given to a knight

• Then you became a lords vassal (servantish)

• A vassal must fight for the lord when he needs a it and attend his curt once a month

• Homage and knighthood\a vassal had to pay homage to his lord which meant kneeling down and taking the lord's hand in his while speaking an oath of loyalty

• When a knight died his fief would be given to his son

• Some clergy priests were known to fight as knights

• Barons were lords of large territories who usually paid homage to the king

• A barons army could outnumber that of a king

• Peasants and lords

• The manorial estate

• Medieval society was divided into three "estates": the clergy the nobility and the common people

• Usually the peasantry farmed on large plantations known as "manors" which were owned by a lord or lady the nobility or a member of the clergy

• They didn't really know how bad they had it because they didn't really interact with other classes of people

• People of the manor

• The lord oversaw major agricultural issues buy delegated everyday overseeing to this stewards or bailiffs

• MOST peasants were serfs

• They were bound to their lords for labor services behind the plow

• Growth o trade

• The agricultural boom after 1000 years allowed for the establishment of many town across Europe

• Farm produce and animal were sold in towns and people with the wealth bought their luxury items there

• The location and appearance of towns

• Most medieval towns were surrounded by fortified walls

• Residences also sprang up outside the walls in the suburbs

• Towns  were dominated by a main church and a central marketplace buildings for the craft guilds and the  center of the town

• Buildings for the craft builds and the wealthiest families would also be center of town

• Life of the townspeople

• Thought the townspeople were free unlike serfs they still had a hierarchy merchants at the top then skilled crafts man and artisan then unskilled laborers apprentices

•  the guilds were their unions

• merchants, crafts man and artisans formed their own groups called guilds which regulated their trade protected its members

•  craftsmen were classified as masters, journeyman and apprentices

• One became a master after spending years learning as an apprentice working as a paid journeyman for a number of years, and completing his "masterpiece"

• Guilds participated in religious feasts and festivals social organizations and usually provided well for charities

We also looked at some..not particularly good artwork... but the most breathtaking thing we looked at was: