Geography of Europe: Where it all
took place! Latitude Comparison
Warriors and War bands in the
West
• Period of change in Western Europe as
barbarians were migrating in to areas given
up by Romans
• As more barbarians moved westward, other
tribes were forced to move
• Groups categorized by languages and little
else
• Celtic: Gauls, Britons, Bretons
• Germanic: Goths, Frank, Vandals, Saxons
• Slavic: Wends
The beginning…Early Middle
Ages
•
•
•
•
Decline of Roman Empire
Rise of Northern Europe
New forms of government
Heavy “Romanization” (religion, language,
laws, architecture, government)
• Latin- “medium aevum” means “middle
age” and is source of English word
“medieval”
Feudalism
• Increasing violence and
lawless countryside
• Weak turn to the strong for
protection, strong want
something from the weak
• Feudalism= relationship
between those ranked in a
chain of association (kings,
vassals, lords, knights, serfs)
• Feudalism worked because
of the notion of mutual
obligation, or voluntary cooperation from serf to noble
• A man’s word was the
cornerstone of social life
A New Social Order: Feudalism
• Social Classes Are Well Defined
– Medieval feudal system classifies people into three social
groups
• those who fight: nobles and knights
• those who pray: monks, nuns, leaders of the Church
• those who work: peasants
– Social class is usually inherited; majority of people are
peasants
– Most peasants are serfs—people lawfully bound to place
of birth
– Serfs aren’t slaves, but what they produce belongs to their
lord
Feudalism Pyramid
Slaves and Serfs
• Slaves made up of conquered peoples
• Some treated harshly, while other were
treated fairly
• Rural slaves became serfs, who worked
the land and provided labor for owner (in
return from protection)
• Set up for system of feudalism
Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism
The Harshness of Manor Life
Peasants pay taxes to use mill and bakery; pay a tithe to priest
(a church tax equal to one-tenth of a peasant’s income)
Serfs live in crowded cottages with dirt floors, straw for beds
Daily grind of raising crops, livestock; feeding and clothing family
Poor diet, illness, malnutrition make life expectancy 35 years
Serfs generally accept their lives as part of God’s plan
Manors: The Economic Side of
Feudalism
• The Lord’s Estate
– The lord’s estate, a manor, has an economic
system (manor system)
– Serfs and free peasants maintain the lord’s
estate, give grain
– The lord provides housing, farmland,
protection from bandits
Manors: The Economic Side of
Feudalism
• A Self-Contained World
– Medieval manors include lord’s house,
church, workshops, village
– Manors cover a few square miles of land, are
largely self-sufficient
Manor Map
The Middle Ages
And Christianity
Most people in
the early Middle
ages lived on a
manor.
A small
church was
an
important
part of
each
manor.
The church saved education from
completely disappearing after the
fall of Rome.
Christian priests learned to read
and write. All books were
handwritten.
Monks “Illuminating” Manuscripts
The church helped keep the
knowledge of Greece and Rome
from being forgotten
The Church Had Power!
 Church leaders played a large part in
the feudal system.
 The church controlled about 1/3 of the
land in Western Europe.
 Tried to curb feudal warfare  only 40
days a year for combat.
 Tried to curb heresies  Crusades; Inquisition
 $$$: Tithe  1/10 tax on your assets given to
the church.

Peter’s Pence  1 penny per person
[paid by the peasants].
You scratch my
back…
I’ll scratch yours….
• Church was granted favors by
Roman Emperors / Kings (land, exemption
from taxes, immunity in courts, positions in
courts) and in return the Church would
endorse kings to help secure their rule
• Kings looked to Church to supply
educated administrators to help run
kingdoms and in return kings would
enforce laws that prohibited other religions
Late Medieval Town Dwellings
The Magna Carta
King John I
 Runnymeade
 “Great Charter”
 monarchs were not
above the law.
 kings had to
consult a council of
advisors.
 kings could not tax
arbitrarily.