The Early Middle Ages
Section 3
The Feudal and Manorial Systems
Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• The Feudal System
• Quick Facts: Feudal Obligations
• The Manorial System
• Daily Life in the Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages
Section 3
The Feudal and Manorial Systems
Main Idea
In Europe during the Middle Ages, the feudal and manorial
systems governed life and required people to perform certain
duties and obligations.
Reading Focus
• What duties and obligations were central to the feudal system?
• How did the manorial system govern the medieval economy?
• What was daily life like for people on a manor?
Section 3
The Early Middle Ages
The Feudal System
Knights like William Marshal did not exist at the beginning of the
Middle Ages but began to emerge as the period progressed.
Origins of Feudalism
Knights and Lords
• Feudalism originated partly as
result of Viking, Magyar,
Muslim invasions
• Kings unable to defend their
lands, lands of their nobles
• Nobles had to find way to
defend own lands
• Built castles, often on hills
• Not elaborate structures; built
of wood, used as place of
shelter in case of attack
• Nobles needed trained
soldiers to defend castles
• Knights most important,
highly skilled soldiers
• Mounted knights in heavy
armor best defenders
• Being a knight expensive; had
to maintain weapons, armor,
horses
• Knights demanded payment
for services
The Early Middle Ages
Section 3
Fiefs and Vassals
Knights were usually paid for their services with
land
• Land given to knight for service was called a fief
– Anyone accepting fief was called a vassal
– Person from whom he accepted fief was his lord
• Historians call system of exchanging land for service the
feudal system, or feudalism
The Early Middle Ages
Section 3
Feudal Obligations
Oath of Fealty
• Lords, vassals in feudal system had duties to fulfill to one another
• Knight’s chief duty as vassal to provide military service to his lord
• Had to promise to remain loyal; promise called oath of fealty
Financial Obligations
• Knight had certain financial obligations to lord
• Knight obligated to pay ransom for lord’s release if captured in battle
• Gave money to lord on special occasions, such as knighting of son
Lord’s Obligations
• Lord had to treat knights fairly, not demanding too much time, money
• Had to protect knight if attacked by enemies
• Had to act as judge in disputes between knights
The Early Middle Ages
Section 3
Section 3
The Early Middle Ages
A Complicated System
Lord and Vassal
Fealty to King
• Europe’s feudal system
incredibly complex
• Person could be both lord,
vassal
• Some knights with large fiefs
gave small pieces of land to
other knights, created many
levels of obligations
• One knight could serve many
lords; no prohibition against
knight accepting fiefs from more
than one noble
• Almost everyone in system
served more than one lord
• Theoretically, everyone
supposed to be loyal to the king
• In practice, not everyone loyal
• Some powerful nobles as
strong as kings they were
supposed to serve, ignored
duties as vassals
• Feudal rules specific to time,
place; could change over time;
England’s rules not same as
France’s rules
Section 3
The Early Middle Ages
Summarize
How did the feudal system work?
Answer(s): lord gave land to knight in return for
protection and loyalty
Section 3
The Early Middle Ages
The Manorial System
The feudal system was a political and social system. A related system
governed medieval economics. This system was called the manorial
system because it was built around large estates called manors.
Lords, Peasants,
and Serfs
• Manors owned by
wealthy lords, knights
• Peasants farmed
manor fields
• Were given
protection, plots of
land to cultivate for
selves
Serfdom
Free People
• Most peasants on
farm were serfs, tied
to manor
• Manors had some
free people who
rented land from lord
• Not slaves, could not
be sold away from
manor
• Others included
landowning peasants,
skilled workers like
blacksmiths, millers
• But could not leave,
marry without lord’s
permission
• Also had a priest for
spiritual needs
Section 3
The Early Middle Ages
A Typical Manor
• Most of manor’s land occupied by fields for crops, pastures for
animals
• Middle Ages farmers learned that leaving field empty for year
improved soil
• In time, practice developed into three-field crop rotation system
Rotation
• One field planted in spring for fall
harvest
• Another field planted in winter for
spring harvest
• Third field remained unplanted for
year
Small Village
• Each manor included fortified
house for noble family, village for
peasants, serfs
• Goal to make manor self-sufficient
• Typical manor also included
church, mill, blacksmith
Section 3
The Early Middle Ages
Analyze
How did lords and peasants benefit from the
manorial system?
Answer(s): lords' farmlands were taken care of,
produced food; peasants were provided protection
from invaders
The Early Middle Ages
Section 3
Daily Life in the Middle Ages
Life in a Castle
• Life in Middle Ages not easy, did not have comforts we have today
• Early castles built for defense not comfort
• Few windows, stuffy in summer, cold in winter, dark always
Space
• Nobles had to share space with others, including soldiers, servants
• Private rooms very rare
• Main room the hall, large room for dining, entertaining
Bedrooms
• In early castles, noble family bedrooms separated from main area by sheets
• Later castles had separate bedrooms; latrines near bedrooms
• Wooden bathtub outside in warm weather, inside near fireplace in winter
Section 3
The Early Middle Ages
Life in a Village
Despite discomforts, life in a castle was preferable to life in a village.
The typical village family lived in a small wooden one-room house. The
roof was made of straw, the floor of dirt, and the furniture of rough
wood. Open holes in the walls served as windows.
Bedrooms
Meals
• Most families slept on beds of straw
on floor
• Peasant families cooked meals
over open fire in middle of floor
• All shared one room with each
other, animals
• Typical meal: brown bread, cheese,
vegetables, occasionally meat
• Most glad to have animals to
provide extra heat in cold winters
• No chimneys, house often full of
smoke; fires common
The family rose before dawn. Men went to work in the fields; women
did chores. During harvest, the entire family worked in the field all day.
Section 3
The Early Middle Ages
Contrast
How was life in a castle different from life in
a village?
Answer(s): castle life more comfortable, people
did not have to work in the fields; village life was
very difficult, no comforts, whole family had to
work continually