Feudalism in Europe
First. . .
• What are political, economic, and social
systems?
– Political refers to government: the way a
group is governed, by whom, the laws of the
group, etc.
– Economic refers to the economy of the group:
how laws and events affect trade, employment,
the flow of money, taxes, etc.
– Social refers to the effects of laws and events
on the people’s lives
Invaders Attack Western Europe
The Vikings invade from the
north
• From Scandinavia
• Seafarers
• Fearsome
• Remember Leif Ericson?
He sailed to the North
America around 1000 (500
years before Christopher
Columbus).
The Magyars attacked from the East (present-day Hungary)
The Muslims invade from the South:
• Came across the
Mediterranean
from North Africa
• Invaded through
present-day Spain
and Italy
This is Alhambra, built by
the Muslim conquerors in
Granada, Spain in 889
What were the results of these
invasions?
Widespread disorder and suffering
Constant danger
Kings could not defend their lands
People no longer looked to a central ruler
for security
• People turned to local rulers who had their
own armies
• Feudalism arose in Europe
•
•
•
•
Feudalism
• A political and social system based on
rights and obligations
– In exchange for military protection and other
services, a lord (landowner) granted a fief
(land) to a vassal (person receiving the fief)
– The vassal would pledge loyalty to the lord
What are Serfs?
• Most people in medieval times were
peasants (people who worked the land)
• Most peasants were serfs who worked the
land for the lords
• Serfs could not:
– leave the land they were born on
– marry without the lord’s permission
– be bought or sold (so they were not slaves)
• The serfs’ labor belonged to the lord
Manors: The Economic Side of
Feudalism
• The manor is the lord’s estate
• The manor system is the economic
arrangement based on the rights and
obligations between a lord and his serfs
– The lord provides the serf with housing and
protection
– The serf took care of the lord’s land, animals,
and maintained the estate
Serfs worked the
lord’s land in
exchange for a
place to live and
protection.
The Medieval Manor
• A manor usually covered a few square
miles of land
• Peasants rarely traveled more than 25
miles from their manor
• Manors were self-sufficient; serfs produced
or raised everything they or the lord
needed for daily life
Manor Life
• Peasant life was harsh
– They paid taxes to the lord (for grinding grain,
marriage, etc.)
– They paid a tithe (church tax) equal to onetenth of their income
– They lived in tiny houses with their animals
– Everyone in the family worked
– They had little food, so illness and
malnutrition were common
– The average life expectancy was 35