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Chapter 12—Feudalism
Open to Page 522
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When You Think Of Feudalism And The Middle Ages…
What Do You Think Of?
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After The Fall Of The Roman Empire
• Large kingdoms were divided up into smaller territories.
• The smaller territories were owned and controlled by nobles.
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Feudalism—a way of living in which peasants and farmers depended on land-owning nobles rather than a king for protection.
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Peasants and Farmers
Got: Gave:Protection from enemies and invaders
Services to the noble—the skills they possessed (blacksmith, etc)
Could live on the noble’s land
Fought for (defended) the noble and his land
A portion of the crops they grew for the lord
Freedoms—to marry, own property, leave
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Feudalism Was Based On Loyalty And Duty Among Nobles
Nobles—were both lords and vassals
(But a vassal served a lord)
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Vassals
• In return for fighting in the lords army the vassal got land.–The vassal's land was called a
“fief.”–The vassal ruled all the people
who lived on his fief.–Vassals were Knights!
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The Manor
• The fiefs owned by a lord made up the lord’s manor.
• The lord ruled his manor. Peasants were allowed to live on the manor (on the fiefs).
• Some peasants were free…some weren’t.
• Serfs were peasants who were not free.
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Serfs
• Serfs needed the lords permission to:–Leave the manor–Get married–Own his own property
• But Serfs were not slaves—they could not be bought or sold.
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More About Serfs…
• Serfs worked long hours
• They had to work three days a week for the lord..
– The rest of the week they worked for themselves.
• They had to give a portion of their crops to the lord
• If a serf ran away to a city, he would be free in one year.
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How Did Farming Improve?
• Several inventions improved farming:
– Heavy wheeled plow• Planting in hard soil was not easier
– Horse collar• Allowed horses to pull plows
– River and wind powered mills• Grain could not be easily ground into meal
– Crop rotation• Fields could produce more crops
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How Did Nobles Live?
• Knights followed a Code of Chivalry– A guide for good behavior
• When noblemen went to war, his family went to live in the castle for protection.
• The castle offered protection and met all of daily living needs.– Bedrooms, toilets, food storage,
chapels, etc.
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What Was Peasant Life Like?
• Homes were very simple– Wood framed, plastered walls with clay, straw
roofs, dirt floors.
• Worked year-round– Harvest in September, plant in early summer
• Women worked in the field and raised children at the same time
• Diets were simple– Bread, vegetables, milk, nuts, fruits
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Trade and Cities
• When the Roman Empire collapsed, trade stopped, money wasn’t used, roads deteriorated, people didn’t travel, crime rose.
• About A.D. 1100 feudalism made Europe safer—travel and trade improved.
• Towns grew—travel and trade too
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How Were Cities Governed?
• At first laws were made by the lords who owned the land
• Paying certain taxes gave some more rights to trade and travel than others
• Over time, towns began to choose their own town councils
–Usually the wealthiest and most powerful
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Craft Guilds
• Guilds were “business associations.”
• Most crafts/skills formed a guild
• Guilds set standards for the quality of work
• Guilds also decided on what prices goods and services should sell for
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City Life
• Buildings were crowded together
• Streets were narrow and unpaved
• There was no running water and no sewers!
• Disease and sickness was common
• Air pollution
• Many women became self-sufficient when they also joined craft guilds
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Quick Review…
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