Answers and Suggested Responses—
Chapter 2 Feudalism
Opening spread
2.1 How did feudalism develop?
1
Because they would have given the raiders wealth (through looting) and other goods they needed
such as food, weapons, etc.
2
With the decline of a centralised army (lost when the ancient Roman empire collapsed), people had
no protection against barbarian raiders. By offering goods or their services to a wealthy landowner
(patron), who might live in a castle or fortified manor, ordinary people had both the promise of food
and shelter, and the patron’s protection.
3
It would have potentially increased the number of people who wanted to protect him and fight for
him and the strength of their loyalty.
2.2
How are societies controlled?
1
a The lord may be the man in the blue clothing and blue hat. (Some may say the lord is not
present, and the man in blue is the lord’s steward, or manager. Should this be the case, ask
them to justify their view.) This man has more authority than others in the picture, not only
because of his more elaborate clothing but also because of his body language. He appears to
be giving orders or explaining something to the man he is speaking to (perhaps the head
peasant, or steward).
b Cutting grain in the fields, harvesting grapes, digging the soil, carrying baskets of grapes to the
presser, pressing grapes in a large vat to extract the juice, testing/sampling wine from an oak
cask.
2
2.3
Because people might fear the consequences if they acted differently to how they had been taught.
The fear might be of a physical punishment, or of what they might be denied, or punished for, in
another world (i.e. after death).
How do societies stay powerful?
1
2
Responses will vary, but the following may be typical:

Conduct a long siege, denying castle occupants access to incoming food or water.

Depending on the soil, dig a tunnel under an exposed corner in the castle wall and light a fire
in the tunnel in an attempt to collapse a section of the wall.

Use a piece of equipment (some students may nominate it, or call it a siege engine) to toss
boiling oil and/or rotting/infected animal corpses over the wall (to help spread disease).

Fire burning arrows at any parts if the castle made of flammable material (possibly the roofs
of the turrets and keep if made of wooden shingles).
Responses will vary, but the following may be typical:

Man all castle walls and castle windows with archers (including crossbow archers).

Pour vats of boiling water or oil over the wall on any attackers who came too close.

Impose strict rations on food and water for those within the castle to help offset any siege
action.
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2.4 Why did feudalism decline?
1
With the end of barbarian raids, ordinary people had less need of security. Towns were springing
up, as was trade, and communities were being boosted/excited by many of the new inventions
brought home by the crusaders. Many peasants saw towns as an opportunity for independence
from the manor lord, and a chance to gain new skills, even wealth.
2
It shows that lots of people were dying at once, so many that they needed to be buried in mass
graves.
3
Under feudalism, peasants provided their labour (and vassals their military service and support) in
return for the lord’s protection and support. Feudalism (and manorialism) was based on a system
of mutual obligations. With the Black Death greatly reducing the population (and labour market),
those who survived were able to bargain with landowners. Many asked for money in return for their
services. The bonds of loyalty on which feudalism depended became less and less relevant.
Section 2.1: How did feudalism develop?
What do you know about the spread of feudalism?
1
a It comes from a Latin word which basically meant a grant of land.
b A king or ruler offered a grant of land (a fief) to a noble or knight in his realm (a vassal) in
exchange for that vassal’s sworn support and loyalty.
c The Germanic practice of leaders rewarding loyal warriors with gifts, including land; the Roman
practice of patronage, whereby people would offer gifts, their labour and their loyalty to a patron
(wealthy landowner) in return for his support and, if needed, his protection.
d Manorialism was the economic system that allowed the political system of feudalism to
succeed. It was a working arrangement between the lord of the manor and the peasants who
worked on his estate. Their provided the lord with their labour and dues (taxes in money, or a
portion of the produce they grew); in return he gave them protection, grants of land to farm as
their own in many cases, and sometimes extra food.
2
Because of threats posed by barbarians and by other rulers eager to expand their sphere of
influence
3
a These sources depict different portrayals of the Battle of Hastings, fought in 1066 at Hastings in
England between the English king, Harold Godwineson, and the Duke of Normandy (often
called William the Conqueror). Source 2.9 is a primary source of evidence of the battle as it was
prepared soon after the battle occurred, probably on the orders of William’s half-brother, Bishop
Odo. It is a two-dimensional painting with a stylised border. Source 2.8 is a secondary source
as this re-enactment occurred some 950 years after the battle. It shows the location of the
battle, at Hastings itself. Its detail, the costumes of the participants, and the actions presented
would have been based on careful research by historians and other experts.
b Responses will vary. Some might prefer the detail of armour and weapons shown in Source 2.9,
and be interested in the information presented in the borders. Others might think that Source
2.8, in showing the typography of Hastings, and a re-enactment of the position of the two
armies at a point in the battle provides a better appreciation of what actually happened.
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Big Ideas
1
Student paraphrases of the following:
Feudalism: medieval practice whereby a lord or noble gave a fief (grant of land) to a vassal in
return for his promise to serve him loyally, and provide military support and advice when
necessary.
Manorialism: system whereby a medieval lord allowed peasants to live on his land, and work
sections of it for themselves, in return for their loyal support. and the payment of taxes/portion of
the produce they harvested
Vassal: a person who offered their loyalty and support to a medieval lord in return for his protection
and the granting of a fief (usually a parcel of land).
Manor: the estate of a medieval lord that contained not only his own home, crop fields, storage
facilities and other infrastructure (e.g. grain mill, local village church), but also the homes and crop
fields worked by his peasants.
Serf: peasant who owned no land and was therefore subject to the rules and taxing arrangements
set by the lord who offered him a place to live and farm on his own manor.
Divine right: a belief held for a time by some medieval kings (and others) that they had the approval
of God to rule.
2
William the Conqueror became King William I of England after the Battle of Hastings. He had
previously been the Duke of Normandy (in today’s France) where feudalism had operated
successfully for some time. When he became King of England, he brought these traditions with
him.
3
So he was well protected during times of conflict, for not only would these vassals fight for him
personally, but also they would supply him with a number of fighting knights.
4
Pie chart (c).
5
This task is a good group activity that could be done outside the classroom (e.g. as an extended
homework task) and presented for playing at, say, a lesson towards the end of term. Should you
wish it to be an assessment task, it can be specifically framed to address particular standards in a
range of Interdisciplinary learning domains: Communication, Thinking, as well as Design, Creativity
and Technology. Depending on the cohort, you could also incorporate certain ICT standards.
6
Responses will vary. One example is given on page 31 of the textbook. If students find this task too
much of a challenge, you could ask for it to be completed in groups not pairs.
7
a Information recorded might include:

a large manor house, owned by [Insert name] that is surrounded by a low wall and
gatehouse

an entire manor area of [Insert area]. It includes a crop fields area of [Insert area] as the
owner’s demesne, and an area of [Insert area] for working by the owner’s serfs.

crops such as [Insert crop names], grown in accordance with the crop rotation system

a forest, of some [Insert area], which is well stocked with deer and boars
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
a freshwater well

an orchard of [Insert name of fruit trees/nut trees etc.] adjacent to, and within the walls of the
manor house, comprising some 70 trees

manor facilities include a grinding mill, stables, bakehouse and storage barns, as well as a
home for the manor’s steward

a pond containing ducks and geese as well as fish and eels

a common on which up to 15 sheep are grazed and sometimes cattle

12 village huts to house peasant families of peasants, including those of the bailiff and the
reeve

a creek stocked with salmon, trout, other freshwater fish and eels

some [Insert length] of fencing, separating crop fields from grazing stock

vegetable gardens and fruit trees around most village huts as well a pen to house village
animals such as pigs and chickens

a small village church and cemetery, and a tithe barn, where tithes (usually farm produce)
are collected.
b Responses will vary, but could include:
8

Questions to address some of the missing information in the above points [in square
brackets].

How many vassals does the lord have?

How many peasants work on his land?

Are there any other animals hunted in the forest besides boars and deer?

What sort of farm equipment is stored?

On average, how much grain is stored in the owner’s storehouses at any one time?

How much produce is stored in the tithe barn?
Encourage students to search for helpful sites on the Internet, using Google or similar. Framing
questions could include:

Who were they?

Where did they come from?

When were they a problem for medieval Europe?

What impact did each have on medieval Europe?

When did they stop being a problem for medieval Europe?
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9
Responses will vary depending on the thinking skills, communication skills and confidence of the
student cohort. Encourage students to use costume (if appropriate), or at least props, to help make
their role play more effective.
10
Responses will vary. The intent of the question is to get students thinking about the cycles of
history, and to recognise the cues that suggest that change has happened/is happening/is
imminent.
11
Responses will vary.
Section 2.2: How are societies controlled?
What do you know about the control of feudal obligations?
1
a Sowing seed, treading grapes to extract the juice, tending pig herds and flocks of sheep, killing
animals for food, cutting grass or hay as feed for animals, harvesting grain crops, threshing
grain crops to separate the seeds from the husks, preparing an estate for the visit of the lord (if
absent for a time), collecting firewood and kindling, preparing the soil for planting (even in bad
weather such as snow).
b A peasant was working all year round, in all types of weather. His duties involved a constant
cycle of tasks. He would have (a) had very little free time for himself or his own family and (b)
been exhausted at the end of a typical day.
2
Not being allowed to (a) move from where they lived on the lord’s manor, (b) permit their daughters
to marry without the lord’s approval, (c) educate their sons without the lord’s approval, (d) hunt for
game in the woods or forests on the manor. Having to pay taxes to the lord in produce or (in some
cases) money, and having to pay the lord a fee to use the manor’s mill to grind grain for one’s own
use.
3
Total loyalty, total devotion, advice and military support if required.
4
Help those in distress: this might mean that a knight was forced to risk his own life, rather than,
say, choose to run away or ignore the problem.
Be generous to those less fortunate: this meant a knight had an obligation not to be selfish if he
was aware of the needs of another.
Uphold a lady’s reputation and honour: again, this might mean that a knight was forced to risk his
own life in taking on this responsibility.
What do you know about the control of the Church?
1
(a) Medieval Popes had great influence with kings; the Pope, for example, was one influence on
William the Conqueror’s decision to invade England in 1066. Popes also had great influence on the
ordinary people (e.g. the decision to fight the Crusades).
(b) The medieval Church was a large landholder in Europe and England, acquiring many fiefs
under the feudal system. It also accumulated great wealth through the tithes and offerings of
ordinary people. As well, it did not have to pay taxes.
2
Because it was a constant reminder of what might happen to those who did not obey the teachings
of God and the Church. It is a frightening image, of people being put into boiling pots. For a people
generally not able to read or write, it conveyed a powerful message about the way to live, if this
spiritual fate was to be avoided.
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3
Because someone who was excommunicated could never again go to church or seek forgiveness;
their soul was forever separated from God and God’s love and forgiveness.
4
Owning and working fiefdoms; tithes and offerings; being free of the obligation to pay tax.
5
Serfs on church estates were expected to work for their religious ‘masters’ (e.g. a religious order of
monks) just as peasant on another feudal estate might work for a lord or noble; people had to pay
tithes and attend church regularly; people had to follow the teachings of the Church in respect to
traditions such as feast days and Holy Days; people had to be baptised (or they could not go to
heaven) and be married in a church; people could not live together outside of marriage; people
were expected to follow the Church’s teachings and the directions of the local priest in respect to
their Christian beliefs and practices (e.g. not eating meat on Friday).
What do you know about the controls of medieval justice?
1
A person’s feet were locked into holes in a wooden panel, so they could not run away. Their hands
might also be tied. This meant they were an easy target for villagers who might throw rotten food at
them, or similar.
2
Because they would have caused enormous agony, and death would have been slow and
excruciatingly painful. Most people would have done whatever they had to do to avoid such
punishments.
3
a Old women who were or had been married, especially if they lived alone.
b Display a bad temper or strange behaviour (e.g. talking to themselves, feeding wild birds etc.);
have some physical disability; have the scars of some disease or skin problem (such as acne);
have the symptoms of old age (e.g. osteoporosis, shuffling walk, poor eyesight etc.).
c They might seek to keep out of the public eye to avoid arousing suspicion, although this itself
might be been a reason for nosy neighbours to report something suspicious.
4
Trial by ordeal involved the accused (or someone standing in his/her stead) having to undergo an
ordeal to prove innocence. For example, the ordeal might be to hold a red hot piece of metal, or to
be held underwater or walk across hot coals. An innocent person was one whose body recovered
from such an ordeal; a guilty person was one who didn’t.
Big Ideas
1
They acquired large tracts of land as fiefs; they, in turn, acquired a large number of loyal
supporters (who provided a ready fighting force in times of conflict); they had their land tilled by
peasants for free (in return for providing them with somewhere to live and a small piece of land to
farm as their own); they received dues paid by vassals and peasants in the form of money, spoils
of war or produce.
2
Responses will vary, particularly if students prepare a poster response, but typical points might
include:

because almost everyone in medieval Europe and England was a Christian and supported
and respected the Church’s representatives (the Pope, bishops, village priests etc.)

because there was almost no opposition to the authority of the Church, helped to a large
extent by the fact that few could read and write (and hence be aware of alternate views) and
by a fear of the punishments (physical and spiritual) that could follow for those who defied
Church teachings and rulings

because it was very wealthy through land holdings and the tithes and offerings of the people,
and the fact that it did not pay taxes
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
3
because its institutions (e.g. monasteries, hospitals etc.) and personnel (e.g. local village
priests, wandering friars) were often a source of support and comfort to the people and
hence regarded with respect.
Responses will vary, but might include:

They are unaware of anything happening around them that they don’t see themselves or
hear about from others (who may not tell the truth anyway).

They are less likely to question the worth or otherwise of something if they do not know all
the facts.

It is difficult to influence others beyond one’s immediate family and friends if one cannot
write.
4
She is making someone a knight.
5
a They had to work extremely hard on the land of a lord’s manor, not only in doing what they had
to do for the lord, but also in supporting their own family. This would have meant there was little
time for them to do other things they may have preferred to do.
b Because it meant that both parties had obligations which they were expected to honour, the lord
in protecting and rewarding the vassal for his loyalty, and the vassal in serving and providing
loyal support to the lord. When these obligations between two parties were repeated thousands
and thousands of times in the society, it began a loose system, working as a form of unwritten
law.
6
Each box of the flow chart will contain wording (and suggested reasons why each was a control)
similar to those listed below:
Step 1:
A boy left home at the age of 7 to live as a page in the court, castle or manor or the
man who would become his lord:
Social controls: Not able to live with his own family, not able to play whenever he wanted, having to
serve the lord (e.g. by helping out in serving meals), having to learn what was necessary to
eventually becoming a knight (e.g. how to ride a horse, Christian teachings).
Step 2: When a young teenager, the boy became a squire (a bit like an apprentice to a knight).
The knight taught him how to use weapons, put on armour, use a lance and look after horses; he
also learned about the Code of Chivalry.
Social controls: Not being able to hang out with mates or do what he wanted when he wanted to,
having to help the knight, having to learn many things, having an obligation to live in accordance
with the Code of Chivalry (even if this meant going against what the squire might have preferred to
do).
Step 3: The would-be knight prepared for his dubbing for an entire day before the ceremony (a
practice called a vigil). He did not eat anything, washed, put on clean clothes, prayed and
confessed his sins.
Social controls: Not being able to eat if he was hungry or leave his quarters, not being able to talk
to anyone except the priest to whom he confessed his sins.
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Step 4: The would-be knight knelt before his new lord and was dubbed a knight. The lord tapped
him on the shoulder (earlier on the side of the neck) with the flat side of a sword. He was then
given a lance, a sword and his spurs.
Social controls: Not being able to live in any way other than to support and serve his lord (providing
advice, taxes, military support — and, if necessary, giving his life), not being able to live except in a
way that was expected of a knight (e.g. obeying the Code of Chivalry).
7
Go to the Oxford website (www.oxfordbigideas.com) for suggested answers/comments for this
worksheet.
8
Responses will vary.
9
Responses will vary but could typically include the following:
LOOKS LIKE: instruments of torture, dark dungeons, rats, stone steps, small windows, spider
webs, stone floor, keys, weapons, soldiers, doors, fires
FEELS LIKE: pain, cold, scratching, biting, wet, shivering, burning, stretching, crushing
SOUNDS LIKE: screams, crying, yelling, cursing, dripping, sizzling, crunching, squeaking, rattling,
banging
Ways in which medieval justice and its methods helped to control medieval societies include: by
creating fear of the punishment that awaited any who broke the rules or threatened the social
order, by increasing the power and authority of those who did the punishing, by removing (through
punishment and death) anyone likely to threaten the power and authority of the rulers, by making
an example of someone (through his/her torture/death) to discourage others from doing the same
thing, by reinforcing the views that those who broke the law/went against the person in authority
had no human rights and could therefore be punished in a degrading way.
10
Responses will vary. This task will appeal to creative thinkers. It also gives an opportunity for
students to develop/display communication skills through, for example, an oral presentation. The
task could be undertaken in groups or pairs to help develop interpersonal skills/teamwork.
11
Responses will vary. Ensure students understand what a concept map is before they start and the
principles of developing one.
12
Responses will vary. The intent here is for students to think critically about what they have learned
in this section and to articulate and defend a viewpoint. There is no one correct answer.
13
Again, there is no one correct answer. Responses to this question will vary, depending on the
cohort and the views expressed by students.
14
This is an extended task, intended for completion outside the classroom. You may/may not choose
to consider it as an assessable task. If selected, it is recommended that relevant standards of the
Design, Creativity and Technology domain be built into the task requirements, perhaps, too, with
applicable standards of the Personal Learning and Communication domains.
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Section 2.3: How do societies stay powerful?
What do you know about castle warfare?
1
By having a castle as a base, a king or lord had a fortress that was difficult for enemies to
penetrate (at least until the cannon was invented). If he had acquired a lot of vassals, he had
access to a loyal army of knights and soldiers. More victories meant he could also potentially
increase his territory (and wealth and influence) and build or takeover other castle fortresses.
2
To maximise the ability of its inhabitants to defend themselves against attack.
3
Motte and bailey castle
Strengths: surrounding water-filled ditch would have made it hard for enemies to attack, particularly
under fire; entrance gate, bridge and surrounding gate would have kept out unwanted intruders; the
owner’s fortress was built on a motte (a high point) within the castle ground, which would have
been much more difficult for an enemy to attack.
Weaknesses: the fences, steps and castle buildings were usually made of wood, would could be
set alight by flame-tipped arrows; the castle’s protection would be reduced if the water-filled ditch
were to dry up or be drained by an enemy (e.g. by diverting the water flow); the fortress on top of
the motte was not an especially large area relative to the rest of the castle grounds and would
therefore hold only a limited number of defending soldiers.
Early stone castle
Strengths: made of stone, not wood, and therefore stronger and resistant to fire; surrounded by
high stone walls that were impossible to scale without ladders or other devices; usually surrounded
by a moat, which made it difficult for enemy attacking devices and troops to get close to the wall;
often had a strong gatehouse that controlled who entered and left the castle; usually had turrets at
intervals along the wall that provided extra storage and accommodation facilities as well as
protection for soldiers when defending the castle against attack; had a central keep (which was
also difficult to penetrate in a time of enemy attack) which housed the lord and his family as well as
defending troops.
Weaknesses: a moat could be drained by an attacking army; a section of the external wall could be
undermined by sappers, particularly the corner of a square or rectangular castle; a stone castle
took a very long time to build so a lord might have to wait some time before a castle in a particular
area gave him the protection he wanted.
4
Responses will vary. Most will say it was fairly effective. The degree of effectiveness depended on
how completely the armour covered the body. Of the weapons shown, the crossbow was perhaps
the most lethal as it fired its bolt (thicker version of an arrow) with tremendous force.
5
a By fighting on a hoarding (later a machicolation) which provided some screened protection for
the defender, while having openings to allow weapons to be fired and missiles such as rocks
and boiling oil to be dropped on those below.
By using the merlons and crenels of the battlements to alternately fire weapons (e.g. shoot
arrows) and then shelter when there was incoming fire.
By firing weapons from the gatehouse at oncoming attackers trying to break down the gate, and
by dropping missiles through the murder holes on any who penetrated the gate.
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By firing weapons through embrasures, whose shape allowed a wide view beyond (for
defenders to fire their weapons) and a very narrow external entry for those returning fire.
By ensuring the moat was full and the drawbridge (if there was one) was pulled up.
By having a plan to counter any attack by sappers.
b Ballista, to fire king-sized crossbows; belfry, to help attackers to scale the castle walls; mantlets,
to provide a shield for attacking archers; mangonels, to fire missiles like a giant slingshot;
battering ram, to break down the gate or sections of the castle wall; trebuchet, to fling large
missiles or diseased cow carcasses over the castle walls; digging under a section of castle wall
and creating a fire in the tunnel so that portion of the wall collapsed.
Big ideas
1
By allowing lord to acquire a fighting force when they needed it, and being able to defend their
territory and position against attackers. Castles helped communities stay strong by giving them the
confidence to establish settlements close by, knowing that the soldiers of the nearby castle would
protect them in case of attack.
2
A paraphrase of any three labels for the siege engines illustrated and described on pages 44–5.
3
Seventh Crusade (6 years)
Fifth Crusade (5 years)
Third Crusade (4 years)
First Crusade (3 years)
Second Crusade (2 years) / Fourth Crusade (2 years)
Sixth Crusade (1 year)
Eighth Crusade (less than 1 year)
4
It was a very holy city for both religions.
5
A large section of its perimeter is surrounded by water, with a thick forest on one side. Both these
factors would have made it difficult for armies (and their siege engines) to attack this castle.
6
They were attempting to undermine the city wall and a tower (by digging a tunnel underneath it and
setting fire to the wooden structures that held the tunnel in place).
7
Jousts and tournaments were like practice for war. Such activities strengthened the skills and
strategies that knights and other soldiers needed to stay ready for a real war.
8
Responses will vary.
9
a Attacking soldiers are attempting to undermine the section of castle wall above by digging a
tunnel intended to collapse. When the tunnel collapsed, the attackers hoped so, too, would the
section of wall above.
b It would burn the wooden supports that kept the tunnel structure stable.
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c When the section of the wall collapsed, it would provide an opening through which enemy
soldiers could pour through or fire their weapons. If this sapping were repeated in a number of
spots at once around the castle wall, it would make it extremely difficult if not impossible for the
castle occupants to fight off the attack.
d Responses will vary, but will encourage problem solving and creative thinking. Here’s one
possibility: Castle occupants could dig their own tunnel, designed to meet up with that of the
attackers. They could then fight the attackers in the tunnels, pour water into it, or boiling oil.
10
Responses will vary. The task can be structured to incorporate standards from the Design,
Creativity and Technology; ICT and Thinking domains. It is important that the materials used be
those available during medieval times (e.g. wood, rope, rocks, tar etc.),
11
Check the Oxford website (www.oxfordbigideas.com) for suggested answers/comments.
12
Here are some suggested web sites you might like to recommend to some/all students:
Knights of St John the Hospitaller
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller
http://historymedren.about.com/od/hospitallers/p/hospitallers.htm
Knights Templar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar
http://www.templarhistory.com/
Teutonic Knights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teutonic_Knights
http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/teutonic-knights.htm
13
Responses will vary. Students with strong visual/spatial and verbal/linguistic intelligences will enjoy
this activity. Encourage the use of ICT tools for the publishing of the account.
Section 2.4: Why did feudalism decline?
What do you know about medieval commerce and trade?
1
(a) To trade goods, either goods they could purchase from towns or goods to sell that they had
brought back from distant markets. (b) To visit the church or cathedral in a town. (c) To try to make
an independent living after a restricted life on a manor, where they had been obliged to provide
their labour, and dues, to a lord. (d) To make a living, perhaps by setting up a small business,
joining a guild etc.
2
In time, a member of a guild owed his allegiance to the guild and its members, not to a feudal lord
(even if a town retained loose ties with a feudal lord).
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3
The text below is indicative of what could be included in the boxes of the flow chart:
Step 1: A poor peasant runs away from a manor.
Step 2: He finds work helping another to peddle cheap goods (e.g. handmade shoes, knick knacks
etc.).
Step 3: He makes enough money to pay for a passage on a boat, heading for the East.
Step 4: He returns some years later with a number of exotic goods for sale in the local towns.
Step 5: He makes another trip to the East, procuring and bringing back even more goods with his
new-found profits.
Step 6: When he returns to sell these goods in towns, he makes enough profit to buy an estate to
live.
Step 7: As his profits continue to grow, by funding trips to the East made by others, he becomes a
money lender.
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Responses will vary. You could ask selected pairs to share their views with the class.
Fresh Ideas: Using the Jigsaw technique
This task gives students an opportunity for deeper learning about a topic by investigating in detail,
through group discussion, one particular facet of the topic. When expert groups then disband, it
provides each member of the original group with the confidence and ‘expert knowledge’ to contribute
meaningfully to a broader group discussion about the topic.
Big ideas
1
Barbarian raids were lessening, reducing the need of ordinary people for protection; the activity of
merchants, particularly those bring back exotic goods from the East, was increasing; guilds were
forming in towns, attracting people with particular skills; many serfs were running away from
manors in the hope of a better, more independent life in the towns.
2
Craftsman, merchant/peddler of goods.
3
It greatly reduced it in the short term due to the extreme loss of life; around one-third of the
population died.
4
a Pirates and robbers, rough country, rough seas, extreme weather conditions, lack of food and
water, animal predators, fear of falling off the edge of the world (then believed by many to be
flat), loneliness, disease, extreme fear of the unknown.
b People started exchanging money for goods (or sometimes still goods for goods) on a one-off
basis; there was no obligation between buyer and seller once the transaction was done. Over
time, this practice started breaking down the old feudal obligations, whereby a serf/vassal would
be bound to a lord for life, providing their services/dues in return for protection and other
favours provided by the lord.
5
a The invention of the cannon/gunpowder enabled attackers to break down castle walls
(previously a difficult if not impossible thing to do). This meant that castles were no longer a
fortress.
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b The castle was the lord’s home and the heart of the military force that protected a feudal estate.
If it was destroyed, the people who depended on it and its resources would have to find other
means of survival (e.g. by drifting into nearby towns). Over time, this would have helped to
break up feudal estates.
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a Huge numbers of dead and dying, people looking for answers (from religious figures,
philosophers etc.) to explain why this was happening and to try to work out what to do.
b People would have been very frightened at what was happening and want to escape those
areas where people were dying in large numbers (i.e. in towns and on feudal manors, where
people were packed together.) Many fled into the country.
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So many peasants were killed by the Black Death that landowners found it difficult to obtain the
labour needed to work their estates. Instead of being prepared to work under the usual feudal
arrangements, many peasant survivors demanded money for their services. It became a matter of
supply and demand. In many cases, feudal lords had to option but to pay. This meant their
relationship with the peasant workers was no longer one based on mutual obligation.
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a By continuing to have control over townspeople, particularly in respect to matters of commerce
and the law; and by continuing to demand taxes from the people.
b Right of people to come and go as they pleased without having to seek the lord’s permission,
right to trade freely, right to trial matters in town courts and not the manor court, right to not
have to do degrading work on the manor, right of a runaway serf to freedom from any personal
obligation to the lord if the serf had lived in the town for one year and one day.
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Points raised as part of the class discussion will vary. Prompts you could inject if the discussion
falters include:

Why are diseases such as AIDS and bubonic plague so feared?

What is it about these diseases that might cause some to think it was a punishment?

Why do you think people fear the unknown so much?

What sorts of things might doctors or scientists say about the outbreak of such diseases?
a It is a primary source as it was painted in the 14th century.
b That there were shops selling such products as precious stones and jewellery; that some shops
(at least) were clean, well-organised facilities with windows, doors, a counter and shelving; that
it might be common to find animals such as dogs and perhaps a pet monkey in a shop; that
people traded goods for money (the man on the left has a money purse on his belt); that
women sometimes helped out in the business; that woman shopped with their husbands; that
the manufacture of artefacts such as goblets, jugs, plates and cups was well established; that
men, women and children all wore head gear of some sort.
c The activity is taking place within a building not on a farm; money is being exchanged for
goods, rather than an exchange of goods/services based on mutual obligation; the clothing of
the people here (obviously wealthy, if they are buying jewellery) contrasts with the clothing of
manor peasant (but not with that of, say, the lord and his wife); the premises are clean and
more hygienic that, say, the village huts of a manor’s serfs; the floor is tiled, not an earth floor
(as in the case of peasants) or covered with straw (as were the floors of some manor Great
Halls).
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Responses will vary. Suggest to students that their central hub contain the words ‘Consequences
of the Black Death’. Some hubs leading out from this could read: Widespread death, Widespread
sickness, Houses and streets, Hygiene levels, Churchyards. Other hubs, sub-hubs and the logic for
connecting lines will largely depend on the individual student’s thinking processes. You could
perhaps ask students to swap their completed concept map with that of a partner, each suggesting
what other information could be added to the partner’s map.
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Responses will vary. In a broad sense, peasants were exchanging protection and lack of personal
freedom for the individual freedom (and risks) of living, say, in a town. It would have benefited
some (for example, those who became wealthy through trade) and greatly disadvantaged others.
Depending on the student cohort, it may provide the opportunity to briefly compare similar aspects
of modern political ideologies, e.g. communism and capitalism.
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Responses will vary. You may wish to firstly remind students of the process, by referring them to
the Fresh Ideas feature on page 53.
Transferring ideas—The Mongols: how do we assess evidence
2.1 How did feudalism develop?
1
The powerful lord (shogun) divided most of the country into domains (similar in some respects to
the parcels of land European lords gave to vassals as fiefs). He allowed daimyo (Japanese
warlords) to rule these in return for their loyal support. The power of the daimyo, in turn, depending
on the loyal support of their warriors (samurai, who like knights in medieval Europe, fight to protect
their ‘master’) and on the labour and taxes of peasants who worked the land of the domain.
2
Japan had a history of rival nobles warring for power and influence. Allocating domains to
potentially rival warlords was a way to ‘keep them happy’ by giving them a sphere of influence and
the wealth and power many craved. Some students may offer other opinions.
2.2 How are societies controlled?
1
a The shogun; a samurai warrior.
b Authority to rule over an area of land known as a domain
2
a Both codes made it very clear what was expected of the warrior/knight in terms of their private
values and public behaviour. It provided both a belief system and a code of conduct.
b In certain circumstances, the warrior/knight would not have been free to do other than what was
ordered by the code of conduct, even if he would have preferred not to (e.g. give his life for his
lord).
3
It provides a code for living based on spiritual values. Believers will naturally order their day-to-day
behaviour on earth to match what they believe, and rarely feel ‘free’ to do otherwise. This might
mean feeling obliged to do good works, or to give money to a religious organisation; on the other
hand, it might mean feeling obliged to speak out/stand up in opposing something they believe to be
contrary to their beliefs.
2.3 How do societies stay powerful?
1
Their appearance is fierce. People who know or be soon made aware of a samurai’s fighting skill
and adherence to the Bushido Code. Knowing this meant they were men who would willingly fight
to the death, without fear, would have made opponents wary of them. Such a force, especially if
there were a large number of samurai, would help to strengthen the position of a daimyo lord.
2
Because they were strong fortresses against attack, and the hub of a feudal unit.
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2.4 Why did feudalism decline?
1
The emperor was not part of any mutual feudal obligation between lord and vassal. He was more
of a religious figurehead. In rallying behind the emperor, rather than, say, the daimyo or shogun,
the allegiance was shifted away from one of mutual obligation to one based more on a country’s
people serving a leader (religious or otherwise).
2
As commerce became more important, particularly with increased contact with merchants from the
West, Japanese merchants would have begun to play a more prominent role. Many would have
become wealthier. Over time, this would have given merchants a higher profile in society and great
influence. This was contrary to their traditional role in Japanese society — basically towards the
bottom of the social scale.
3
Western merchants would have encouraged local merchants to become involved in trading
arrangements, whereby money was exchanged for goods. Others would have observed this trend,
and perhaps yearned, too, for the wealth and influence that came through trade. They would have
seen that such things were changing the social order, elevating the position of the once-despised
Japanese merchant. Such developments, over time, would have upset the stability of the feudal
system, which depended for its survival on continuing mutual obligations and lack of change.
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