Chapter 2: Europe's High Middle Ages:
William the Conqueror and the Feudal System
Introduction
1. Why was the Battle of Hastings considered a historical milestone? (2
reasons)
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. The centre of feudal life was the manor: a self-sufficient
__________________________ where most people lived out their
lives as serfs or free landowners.
3. The feudal system was primarily a military
________________________. The manor’s main purpose was to
support the lord of the manor, a __________________.
William the Conqueror and the Feudal System
4. William the Conqueror decided that the feudal system that he was
familiar with in ______________________ would work well in
_______________________.
5. He began taking away land from the English defeated
____________________ and giving it to the Norman
____________________ who fought with him at Hastings.
6. English landowners and serfs at first ________________________, but
William brutally suppressed all opposition.
The Feudal Contract
7. A feudal system is based on the “three F’s”. What are they?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
8. ____________________________was the basis of all wealth.
9. Land was given to ________________________, who were knights, in
exchange for loyalty.
10.The ___________________________ parcelled out all lands in the
kingdom to faithful nobles as fiefs, or estates.
11.In return for these _________________________, the nobles promised
their loyalty to the monarch fulfilling these four obligations:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
12.In return for performing these duties, nobles had the right to their
monarch’s protection and justice. The king
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
13.This relationship was sealed in a ceremony in which nobles swore an
_______________________________.
14.The nobles became the king’s _______________________________.
15.In similar ceremonies, _____________________ nobles took
___________________________ nobles as vassals.
16.The basis of the feudal system is the deal or ___________________
between the lord and the vassal.
17.Both parties were expected to live up to the
_____________________________________.
18.The vassals of the king, _____________________________, became
the tenants-in-chief of estates.
19.The vassals of these nobles became ____________________________
and the vassals of the tenants became __________________________.
20.Nobles always kept some land for themselves and would live on this
land called a ___________________________. They were called
________________________________ and had the right to profit
from it.
21.The lord of the manor had ________________________ and
___________________________ to work the land. Formed about
90% of the population.
22.________________________________owned the land they farmed,
but paid a yearly fee to the lord of the manor.
23.The ___________________________ had virtually no power.
24.What could the lords not take away from the serfs?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________