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FEUDAL SOCIETY

The Middle Ages. 500 BCE - AD 1350. FEUDAL SOCIETY. Once upon a time there was a vast empire. ruled by one man. Power and influence radiated throughout the empire from Rome. Rome was sacked by barbarians. Alas, this empire crumbled and disappeared. Results of the decline

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FEUDAL SOCIETY

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  1. The Middle Ages 500 BCE - AD 1350 FEUDAL SOCIETY

  2. Once upon a time there was a vast empire ruled by one man

  3. Power and influence radiated throughout the empire from Rome

  4. Rome was sacked by barbarians Alas, this empire crumbled and disappeared

  5. Results of the decline of Roman authority throughout the Empire

  6. There was no longer a central government able to: Maintain an army

  7. Maintain roads

  8. Coin money

  9. Maintain courts

  10. What will happen as a result of no army? no road network? no coinage? no central government?

  11. What will happen to the great cities of the Empire?

  12. What disappeared from the once mighty empire: Public order Protection against foreigners Safe travel Tax collection and public services Business and commerce City life

  13. After the “fall” of the Roman Empire people had to: • Fall back upon their own resources • Make use of whatever and whomever was available locally

  14. The vast majority of people were farmers. They needed: • Land to farm • A place to live • A source of protection • A way to satisfy their emotional and spiritual needs

  15. Who was around to meet these needs? The closest landowner with a horse and a fortifiable home

  16. …and a Roman Catholic priest

  17. THE MANORIAL SYSTEM

  18. People lived in small rural communities called “manors”

  19. The manors were very isolated What are the implications of that?

  20. Life on the medieval manor: How would you describe what they are doing? Where on the manor would they live? Who on the manor would not be doing this?

  21. What economic information can be inferred from this illustration?

  22. How are these people different? How would you describe what they are doing? Where on the manor would they live?

  23. What do they own that the peasants (actually, serfs) do not? What might the horses allow them to enjoy that the serfs cannot?

  24. Why is this building so important to these serfs? Who owns and lives in this building? What are his functions on the manor?

  25. Reality check: this is straight out of Disneyland Actual medieval castles were usually drafty, smelly dumps!

  26. Actually, this illustration is symbolically correct: The lord and his upper class friends DID stand far above the lowly serfs

  27. in terms of power, prestige and wealth

  28. Medieval society looked like this: Upper class: quite small Huge gap: no social mobility Lower class: huge

  29. The upper class lords: • Provided protection • Provided “justice” • Owned all land • Were born into their high status

  30. The lower class serfs: • Did all manual labor • Provided for all economic needs of manor • Were born into their low status

  31. Serfs had no geographic mobility, as they were legally bound to the manor But what about the feudal lords?

  32. The term “manorialism” refers to: • The economic & social aspects of medieval society • Life on the manor • The relationship between the lord of the manor and his serfs

  33. THE FEUDAL SYSTEM

  34. Now let’s put the “feudal” into feudal society After the Roman Empire collapsed large landowners handed out tracts of land to men who would promise to fight for them in return

  35. The recipient of the land was the “vassal” the landowner was known as the “lord”

  36. The land itself was called the “fief”

  37. On this extremely large tract would be one or several manor communities Remember, without his serfs this guy wouldn’t eat!

  38. In theory, the #1 lord was the King who owned all land in the realm… …making this sound like a very centralized system

  39. In reality, even though all the lords owed fealty (allegiance) to the king… …some controlled as much land as he did and were therefore powers unto themselves…

  40. …making this, in reality, a very de-centralized political system

  41. Usually a lord Had a number of vassals

  42. But any given vassal… might have another lord… …or two How might this become a problem?

  43. Moreover, his lord might have received fiefs from other landowners What are they to him? What has he become?

  44. And his vassals… …might have subdivided the fief they received from the lord You get the picture!

  45. In other words, many people in the feudal system were both lords and vassals depending on which personal relationship you are talking about… …often leading to conflicts of interest where one vassal might serve in the army of one of his lord’s while sending one of his vassals to another one of his lords.

  46. Fighting among lords was common… …because the more land you had the more power you had. Why was this so?

  47. Time for a quick review Economic Structure: • agricultural • little/no trade • self sufficient • manual labor = low productivity • subsistence level • lack of currency = barter system • Lower class provides for all economic needs

  48. Social Structure • two classes; huge gap in status • status inherited = little/no social mobility • little/no geographic mobility • live on small, isolated, rural manors • family works together as basic economic unit • education = on-the-job training

  49. Political Structure • land = power • upper class provides government functions • feudal system = power de-centralized • chaotic: overlapping obligations • frequent warfare • System based on individual, personal relationships

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