5 1 feudalism and the manor system

1. Chapter 5: Europe in the
Middle Ages
Section 1: Feudalism and
the Manor System

2. Vocabulary
 Middle Ages: The years between ancient and
modern times
 Medieval: Referring to the Middle Ages
 Feudalism: A system in which land was owned
by kings or lords but held by vassals in return for
their loyalty
 Knight: A man who received honor and land
in exchange for serving a lord as a soldier
 Peasant: A poor person who made their living
as a farmer or laborer

3. Vocabulary
Continued
 Fief: A share of land
 Manor: A large estate, often including farms
and a village, ruled by a lord
 Serf: A farm worker considered part of the
manor on which he or she worked

4. The Middle Ages
 Lasted from about 500 AD to 1500 AD
 Middle Ages start with the fall of Rome (Map
Page 119)
 Middle Ages = Medieval Times

6. The Middle Ages
 In western Europe, Rome is
replaced with a patchwork of
small “barbarian” kingdoms
 This time is also called the
Dark Ages
 Most barbarians
cannot read or write
 They do not have
the technology or
education of the Romans
Continued

7. The Barbarian Kingdoms

8. Charlemagne
 After several years, one barbarian kingdom
becomes stronger than the rest
 They are from Gaul and they are called the
Franks – From modern day France
 Their leader is Charlemagne

9. Charlemagne’s Empire

10. Charlemagne
Continued
 Charlemagne ruled for 50 years
 Started schools for education and culture
 Spread Christianity
 In return for his support of the church, the
Pope crowns him the “Holy Roman Emperor”

11. Charlemagne
Continued
 When Charlemagne dies, his
empire is divided between his
three grandsons
 They weaken the empire by
fighting each other for power
 Outside
invasions finally
end Charlemagne’s
empire

12. Charlemagne’s Empire

13. The Vikings
 The Vikings were a barbarian group from
Scandinavia – Present day Denmark, Sweden,
and Norway
 Vikings were skilled
sailors and tough warriors

14. The Vikings
Continued
 They used their longships to raid the coasts of
other kingdoms in Europe

15. Viking Raids

16. The Vikings
 The Viking attacks
started around 800 AD
and continued for about
300 years
 They burned towns
and looted villages
 This helped keep
Europe in the “Dark
Ages”
Continued

17. European Feudalism
 Feudalism was a
kind of government
 Land was the
key to this system
 The order of
society as ranked
from top to bottom:
 King
 Nobles
 Knights
 Peasants

18. European Feudalism
King
Nobles
Knights
Peasants

19. European Feudalism
Continued
 Anyone above you in the
system was your lord
 Anyone below you in the
system was your vassal

20. European Feudalism
King
Nobles
Knights
Peasants

21. European Feudalism
 Lords gave their vassals a
fief and/or protection
 In return, vassals gave their
lords some sort of service
Continued

22. European Feudalism
King
Nobles
Knights
Peasants

23. The Division of Land
King
King
King
Noble
Noble
Noble
Noble
Noble
Knight
Knight
Knight
Knight
Knight

25. The Manor System
 The manor system was
the basis of the medieval
economy
 Manors were self
sufficient – They supplied
their own food, clothing,
tools, etc.

26. The Manor System
 The lord owned the manor and lived in a
fancy manor house
 The lord made all the rules and acted as judge
for anyone living on the manor
Continued

27. The Manor System
 The peasants living
on the manor were
called serfs
 Serfs could not leave
the manor – They were
part of the manor and
were considered the
lord’s property
Continued

29. A Peasant’s or Serf’s Life
 Men, women, and
children were all
required to work very
hard
 Houses were one
room huts
 Ate simple foods like
bread, cabbage, turnips
 Mattresses were
cloth sacks stuffed with
straw