Feudalism Notes
Learning Goals:
1. Explore how feudalism helped shape political & social development in Europe during the Middle
Ages
2. Identify the ways in which the manorial system influenced economic growth in Europe during the
Middle Ages
Vikings, Magyars, and Moors…Oh My!
• After the breakup of Charlemagne’s empire, invaders attacked Europe
▫ Vikings attacked from the ________________
 Viking ships could navigate ________________________ and raid inland towns
▫ ____________________ swept in from the east (from present day Hungary)
▫ ____________________ came from the south
Viking Invasions
• From cold northern Scandinavia
• Most __________________________ attackers
• Worship warlike _______________
• Carried raids at fast speeds- strike, then set out to sea before local troops could arrive
Vikings
• Used swords and heavy wooden shields
• Built amazing ___________________
• Boats could carry _______________ men, 72 oars, weigh 20 tons and sail in _____ft of water
• Would use shallow _____________________ to loot villages and monasteries
• Were not just warriors, also were ________________________, farmers and explorers
Leif Ericson
• Most famous _______________
• Most likely reached North America around 1000- about ____________ years before Christopher
_______________________________
Viking Invasions End
• Around the same time Leif Ericson reached the America’s Viking terror ___________________
• Vikings gradually accepted _____________________________ and stopped raising monasteries
• A warming trend in Europe made farming easier in Scandinavia, so many didn’t adopt the Viking
seafaring way of life
Magyars Invasion
• Invade from ____________ in late 800s
• they terrorize ________________________and Italy
• Great on horseback, nomads
• Didn’t settle conquered land
• ______________________people to sell as slaves
• Attack isolated villages and monasteries
• Overrun northern Italy
Muslim Invasions
• Muslims come from the _____________________
• Seized Sicily, raided Italy
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Sacked Rome in ________________
Controlled the Mediterranean Sea and disrupted trade and were excellent sailors
Were vengeful- goal was to plunder land, since they failed at conquering the land in 600 and 700s
Living in Fear
• Invasions of Vikings, Magyars and Muslims caused _____________________ and suffering
• Europeans lived in fear and constant danger
• Central authority proved powerless
• Many turned to local leaders with their own armies
Feudalism
A New Social Order
• Worst years of invaders attacks were ______________-950.
• During this time, rulers and warriors made similar ___________________________ in many parts of
Europe
• The system of governing and _______________________________ called feudalism had emerged in Europe
Feudal System
• Based on mutual ___________________________
• A lord (landowner) granted ________ called a ______________ in exchange for ________________ protection
and other services
• Person receiving the fief was a vassal
• So, Charles the Simple was the lord, and Rollo would have been the vassal
Feudal Pyramid
• Power in feudal system much like a pyramid, with _______________ at the top
• Kings served by nobles who are served by _______________; peasants at bottom
Knights—horsemen—defend their lord’s land in exchange for fiefs
It’s a Pyramid Scheme
• At the top is the ______________ (the lord)
• The _____________________ to the king are wealthy nobles
• Below the wealthy nobles, are _____________________
▫ A knight would then be a vassal to a wealthy nobleman
▫ The knight would pledge his support to his lord (the wealthy nobleman)
• At the bottom of the pyramid were the landless peasants referred to as ________________
• A serf could not legally ______________________his lord’s estate
• Even though they were bound to the land serfs were not slaves
Social Classes
• Status determined a person’s prestige and power
• People were placed into 3 groups:
1) Those who fought- nobles and __________________
2) Those who prayed- men and women of ______________________
3) Those who worked- the ________________________
• Social class was usually inherited
Serfs
• Majority of people in Europe were _____________________
• Most peasants were ___________________
• Serfs were people who couldn’t ___________________ leave the place where they were born
• Even though they were bound to the land, they were not _________________
• Lords could not buy or sell them
Manor
• The manor was the lords __________________
• The manor system was the basic _____________________arrangement
• Lord provided the serfs and peasants with housing, strips of farmland and protection from bandits
Self-Sufficient
• Everything needed for daily life was produced on the manor:
*____________
*fuel
*_____________
*leather goods
*__________________
• The only outside purchases were salt, iron and a few unusual objects like millstones- stones used
to grind flour
Peasant Life on the Manor
• Since it was considered a privilege to live on the manor, peasants paid a high price
• Paid a _____________on all grain ground on the lord’s mill
• Was considered a _______________ to avoid paying taxes
• Paid a tax on marriage- weddings could only take place with the lord’s consent
• All peasant families had to pay a tithe (____________ _________) to the village priest (______% of income)
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Serfs and peasants lived in cottages with only 1 or _____ rooms
Would warm their dirt floor by bringing ____________ inside
Families would huddle together on pile of ________________ crawling with insects to stay warm
Simple Diet
• Peasant diets consisted of:
*_________________
*coarse brown bread
*_______________
*cheese
*soup
• Serfs accepted their way of life, and viewed it as part of ______________________ teachings
• Believed God determined a person’s place in society