Chapter 13.2- Feudalism in Europe
I.
New Invasions Trouble Western Europe
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Between 800 and 1000CE- invasions completely destroyed the Carolingian Empire
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Muslim invaders from south seized Sicily and raided Italy…sacked Rome in 846
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Magyar invaders struck from the east…terrorized Germany and Italy
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Vikings sailed from the north
A.
Vikings: Raiders, Traders, and Explorers
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Vikings were from Scandinavia
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Vikings= Germanic people…called Northmen or Norsemen (or Normans)
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Worshipped warlike gods o Intimidating names: Eric Bloodaxe, Thorfinn Skullsplitter
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Vikings carried out raids very swiftly o Armed with swords and heavy wooden shields o Quickly beached ships, attacked, and escaped in ships o “Pay through the nose.”…”Bloody Eagle”
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Largest Viking long ship held 300 warriors o 72 oars o Could weigh 20 tons, but sail in 3 feet of water o Rowed up shallow creeks to attack inland villages and monasteries
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Vikings were warriors, traders, farmers, and outstanding explorers
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Journey to Russia, Constantinople, and across the North Atlantic to Greenland and Canada
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Leif Ericson- reached North America around 1000CE
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Around 1000CE- Viking terror in Europe began fading away
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Vikings gradually accepted Christianity
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Warming trend in Europe’s climate made farming easier in Scandinavia o Agricultural settlements in Iceland and Greenland prospered…less of a need to go “aviking”
B.
Magyars and Muslims
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Magyars: group of nomadic people, who attacked from the east…superb horseback riders
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Magyars swept across the plains of the Danube River and invaded western Europe in the late
800’s o Magyars did not settle conquered land o Gathered POW’s to sell as slaves o Attacked isolated villages and monasteries o Magyars overran northern Italy and reached as far west as the Rhineland and Burgundy
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Muslim attacks from the south…controlled the Mediterranean Sea and disrupted trade o 600’s and 700’s- Muslims tried to conquer and settle in Europe o 800’s and 900’s- Muslims wanted to plunder as well
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Muslims were excellent sailors…attacked settlements on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts and as far inland as Switzerland

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Invasions of Vikings, Magyars and Muslims caused widespread disorder and suffering…most western Europeans were living under constant danger
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Central authority was powerless…many turned to local rulers with their own armies for
II.
 protection
Feudalism Structures Society
911- Rollo the Viking received a large portion of land from the king of France, Charles the Simple o (Danegeld)- Northmen’s land/ Normandy o In return, Rollo took an oath of fealty to Charles
A.
A New Social Order
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Worst years of invaders’ attacks spanned from 850 to 950CE- gave rise to feudalism
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Similar feudal system in China under the Zhou Dynasty (11 th century BCE to 256CE)
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Feudalism in Japan began in AD 1192 and ended in the 19 th century (samurai/monetary payments)
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Feudal system was based on mutual obligations
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Lord (landowner) granted land, called a fief, in exchange for military protection, or other services
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Person receiving fief was called a vassal
B.
The Feudal Pyramid
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Pyramid with King at the peak
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Next: most powerful vassals- wealthy landowners such as nobles and bishops
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Next: Knights- mounted warriors who pledge to defend their lords’ lands in exchange for fiefs
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Base of pyramid: landless peasants who toiled in fields
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Subinfeudation: same noble might be a vassal to several different lords
C.
Social Classes Are Well Defined
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In feudal system, status determined a person’s prestige and power
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People classified in 3 groups: o 1. People who fought (nobles and knights) o 2. Those who prayed (men and women of the Church) o 3. Those who worked (the peasants)
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Social class was usually inherited
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Europe during the Middle Ages, vast majority of people were peasants
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Most peasants were SERFS- people that were bound to the land (but not slaves)
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Wealth of feudal lords came from the labor of the peasants
III.
Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism
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Manor: lord’s estate
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During the Middle Ages- manor system was the basic ECONOMIC arrangement
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Manor system rested on set of rights and obligations between a lord and his serfs
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Lord provided serfs with housing, strips of farmland, and protection from bandits…in return, serfs tended the lord’s lands, cared for his animals, and maintained the estate o Peasant women shared in the farmwork with their husbands
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All peasants owed the lord certain duties

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 o Few days labor each week and certain portion of their grain
A.
A Self-Contained World
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Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from their own manor…manor usually only covered a few square miles of land
Typically consisted of lord’s manor house, a church, and workshops
Generally, 15 to 30 families lived in the village on a manor
B.
The Harshness of Manor Life
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Peasants had to pay a tax on all grain ground in the lord’s mill o Trying to dodge taxes by baking bread elsewhere treated as a crime
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Peasants also paid a tax on marriage o Weddings could only take place with the lord’s consent
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Peasant families also owed the village priest a TITHE/ Church tax (1/10 of income)
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Serfs lived in crowded cottages with only one or two rooms…brought pigs inside for warmth…families huddled for warmth on straw (often insect infested)
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Peasants’ simple diet: vegetables, course brown bread, grain, cheese, and soup
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Serfs accepted their lot in life as part of the Church’s teachings…believed that God determined a person’s place in society.