Development of Feudalism

Charlemagne’s Empire
o He was king of the Franks
o His name means Charles the Great
o Built a strong army of knights by promising them land in return for loyalty
and military service
o Pope Leo III helped Charlemagne build an empire
 Pope Leo needed the support of an army
 He named Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor
 Charlemagne provided protection for the people living in the Holy
Roman Empire
 In return for loyalty he granted knights and lords land
o Charlemagne’s leadership led to the system of feudalism
 Feudalism: an economic and political system in which people
exchanged loyalty and labor for a lord’s protection
o Feudalism spread through Europe as a way to defend kingdoms from
attack by the:
 Muslims (invaders from the Middle East)
 Magyars (invaders from central Asia)
 Vikings (invaders from the North)

Structure of Feudalism
o Caste System
 People stayed in the social class they were born into
o King
 He controlled all the land in the kingdom
 He gave land grants (fiefs) to lords in return for their loyalty and
promise to supply knights during times of war
o Lords
 Lords controlled land called a manor
 Lords gave smaller land grants and food to knights (soldiers) in
return for loyalty and military service
o Knights
 Soldiers in the Lord’s army
 Were given land and food in return for service in the army
o Peasants and Serfs
 Lords rented land to the peasants for farming
 In return peasants promised to farm the land and give a portion of
the crops to the Lord

Monarchs
o Ruled the Kingdom
o Must provide order and protection for the whole kingdom
o Required loyalty from the Lords
 Used the Lords’ armies in times of war

Lords and Ladies
o Ruled the Manor
 Large house or castle surrounded by walls from protection
 Also included a village and fields for farming
o Responsibilities of Lords and Ladies
 Manage and defend the land and the people who worked on it
 Appointed men to make sure peasants worked and paid rent in the
form of crops and meat
 Acted as judges on the manor
 General of their army of knights

Knights
o Soldiers on horseback
o Becoming a Knight
 Boys started as pages at age 7
 Spent time with the Ladies learning music and dance
 Boys became squires at age 14
 Polished the knight’s armor, sword, and shield
 Cared for the knight’s horse
 Served the knight at meal time
 Trained to be a warrior
 Boys became knights in their early 20s
 Religious Ceremony
 Lords tap the knight on the shoulder with his sword
 Knight swore loyalty to the Lord
o Responsibilities of Knights
 Followed the code of chivalry
 Loyal to the Church and the Lord
 Pledged to be just and fair
 Pledged to protect the helpless
 Paid respect to women
 Participated in jousts and tournaments
 Wore heavy armor made of metal

Peasants and Serfs
o Majority of the People
o Farmers on the Manors
 Raised crops to feed their families
 Raised crops to give to the Lord
o Craftsmen in the Village
 carpenters
 shoemakers
 smiths (metal workers)
 millers (ground grain into powder for baking)
o Paid taxes to the Lord