Another name for the early Medieval period. “Medieval” means from the Middle
Ages.
Follows the immediate fall of Rome. Europe lost all Rome had provided: Order – Organized government. Protection – Rome’s legions. Technology – aqueducts, sewers, bath
houses, roads, and buildings. Education. Trade
In the meantime, invaders were destroying cities, towns, churches, and monasteries. Most books and scrolls were kept in
monasteries at this time so valuable information was lost forever.
Life was not safe during this time.Poverty in the Dark Ages.
Barbarians enter a town.
Order needed to be created since Rome wasn’t around to keep it anymore.
The power structure was like a pyramid. Kings and Queens ruled, then there were nobles, these were followed by knights, and the peasants. This is called feudalism.Feudalism is the social and
political system of Europe during the Middle Ages
King and Queen
Nobles
Knights
Peasants
Power belonged to those who controlled the land.
The land owner is considered a Lord.
A Lord wanted vassals. A vassal is some one who pledges loyalty to the Lord.These people were typically
knights.They would fight for the lord if
needed.They would follow the lord’s laws. In return they would be given land
called a fief.
This would have a special ceremony. One man’s vassal could be another man’s lord.This was called an Oath of
Fealty.
A lord would rule over one or more manors. A manor is a large estate that would include farmland, a village, and the resources to be self-sufficient. This is where the lord
would get most of his wealth.
Each manor would have a Church and mill. Almost everyone went to
church. Peasants used the mill to
be able to make their grain into bread, the lord could keep as much of the peasant’s grain as they would like.
Peasants did all the work on the manor.
They would farm the lord’s fields, and a small portion of land for themselves. In return the peasants and serfs received
protection from their lord. They had to obey the lord’s laws. A kind
lord may give them legal rights, most often lords were cruel to their peasants.
A portion of what was grown on that land also needed to be given to the lord.
Peasants were often serfs, this meant that they were owned along with the land. If a new lord took over a manor, the serfs would become his like the land.