DOCSLIB.ORG

Middle Ages: Feudalism & Chivalry

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Middle Ages: Feudalism & Chivalry Middle Ages: Feudalism & Chivalry Essential Question: What is the structure of feudalism and the role of the manor system? If you were absent…. 12-6-17 Wednesday: Feudalism Notes 12-7- 17. Thursday: Chivalry Notes and Middle Ages Writing Assignment From 800 to 1000, a 2nd major wave of invasions struck Europe led by Vikings, Muslims &Magyars ■ Text These invasions caused widespread fear & suffering Kings could not defend against invasion People stopped looking to kings for protection Vikings…”Northman, Norsemen” Set sail from Scandinavia Worshipped warlike gods & had nicknames Warriors, traders, farmers, and explorers Excellent seafarers and raided with great speed Viking explorer Leif Ericson reached North America almost 500 years before Columbus Muslims and Magyars Invade Magyars - nomadic people from present day Hungary. Raided isolated villages and monasteries. Took captives to sell as slaves. Muslims attacked from the south with the plan to conquer and settle in Europe. A New Social Order: Feudalism • Feudalism began when Charles the Simple, King of France granted Rollo, a Viking leader a piece of French territory, Normandy. Many similar agreements were made elsewhere. • Feudalism is based on rights and obligations • Land-owning lords offer land (fief) to knights in exchange for their loyalty & promise to Bayeaux Tapestry protect the lord’s land Feudal Structure Kings had land but very little power Feudal Structure Lords (also called Nobles) were the upper-class landowners; they had inherited titles (“Duke,” “Earl,” “Sir”) Feudal Structure Knights were specially trained soldiers who protected the lords & peasants – vassals took an oath of fealty (loyalty) Feudal Structure Some peasants were serfs & could not leave the lord’s estate Label your chart! Lords built castles to protect their territory from outside invasions The Manorial System During the Middle Ages, the The lord’s land was manorial system was the way called a manor in which people survived The lord provided peasants with housing, farmland, & protection In exchange, peasants repaid the lord by working his land & providing a portion of the food they produced Peasant life was hard: They paid taxes to use the lord’s mill, had to get permission to get married, & life expectancy was about 35 years old. They also had to pay 1/10th (tithe) a church tax. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKCixcrV90w Manors were self-sufficient communities; Everything that was needed was produced on the manor The Age of Chivalry Knights: Warriors on Horseback Charles Martel observed that Muslim cavalry often helped during battle and as a result he organized Frankish troops of armored horsemen or knights. Leather saddles and stirrups changed the way warfare was conducted during the 700s. Feudal lords raised private armies of knights Knights were rewarded with fiefs from nobles/lords Knights usually participated in about 40 days of combat per year. By the 1100s, the code of chivalry (a complex set of ideals) required a knight fight bravely in defense of 3 masters: feudal lord, heavenly Lord, and his chosen lady A Knight’s Training -Age 7 – sons of nobles are sent off to a castle of another lord to serve and practice fight skills -Age 14 – reached the rank of squire: servant to a knight -Age 21 – becomes a knight – usually traveled for a year or two to gain experience - Tournaments – mock battles - https://youtu.be/zH6U5y086hw Brutal Reality of Warfare - Extreme bloodshed - Defenders of the castles poured boiling water, hot oil, or molten lead on enemy soldiers. - Soldiers with crossbows, that could pierce full armor, were often stationed on the roof. Literature of Chivalry ■ Epic Poems – Recounted a hero’s deeds and adventures – Song of Roland – earliest and most epic poems about a battle during Charlemagne’s reign ■ Love Poems & Songs – Under the code of chivalry, a knight’s duty to his lady was just as important as his duty to his lord – poems and songs tell of the two obligations – Troubadours- traveling poet-musicians… composed poems about the joys and sorrows of love In what way does this painting show the knight’s code of chivalry? Women’s Role in Feudal Society ■ According to the Church and feudal society, women are inferior to men ■ Noblewomen • Can inherit land, defend castle, send knights to war on lord’s request • Usually confined to activities of the home or convent ■ Peasant Women • Most labor in home and field, bear children, provide for family • Poor, powerless, do household tasks at young age How does the life of a Noblewoman differ from a Peasant Woman? What is the main concerns for a noblewoman/peasant woman? Writing Assignment: You must Write a 1-2 page, first-person account of daily life for a person living in the Middle Ages. You should make up a name, develop a voice, and describe your life as a king, noble, knight, or peasant. Feel free to give yourself a family and describe them as well. Grading will be based on creativity, organization, voice, word choice, evidence and elaboration. You must give evidence from the textbook and your notes. Most importantly, please have fun with this writing assignment! Due: Manor House Lord’s Castle Peasant Village Village Church.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • CHAUCER and CHIVALRY by Francine Renee Hall (Knight Templar Magazine, Page 28, Dec
    1. He was a verray, parfit, gentil knyght"... CHAUCER AND CHIVALRY by Francine Renee Hall (Knight Templar Magazine, page 28, Dec. 1980) (Reprinted Knight Templar Magazine, pages 16-17, August 2001) In his medieval classic, "The Canterbury Tales," Geoffrey Chaucer is quite deliberate when he introduces his cast of characters with the Knight. Although chivalry was a stylized code of behavior that signaled the decay of the medieval feudal system, Chaucer is upholding what is essentially the perfect expression of earthly behavior with divine aspiration -- knighthood. During the Age of Chivalry, the ideal knight owed fealty to his king. The king considered himself God's intermediary, so a knight's military obedience became not only a spiritual defense of Christendom in general but a personal homage to God. In the Middle Ages, God was often referred to as the "Lord" and "Heaven-King"; therefore, when Chaucer tells us that the Knight "had proved his worth in his *lord's* wars," we can easily interpret this as meaning God Himself. Chaucer's Knight, then, becomes the standard by which the other pilgrims are gauged. And the Pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury becomes more than an opportunity to journey to a different place and tell stories -- the presence of the Knight transforms it to a spiritual quest. What is the history of this saintly English Knight who leads the "company of nine and twenty" on their pilgrimage to Canterbury and who sets the spiritual tone of the journey? He "loved chivalry, truth and honor, liberality and courtesy." He also "proved his worth" in the holy wars and yet he is humble: "Although he was valiant, he was prudent, never in all his life had he been rude to anyone at all.
    [Show full text]
  • LECTURE 5 the Origins of Feudalism
    OUTLINE — LECTURE 5 The Origins of Feudalism A Brief Sketch of Political History from Clovis (d. 511) to Henry IV (d. 1106) 632 death of Mohammed The map above shows to the growth of the califate to roughly 750. The map above shows Europe and the East Roman Empire from 533 to roughly 600. – 2 – The map above shows the growth of Frankish power from 481 to 814. 486 – 511 Clovis, son of Merovich, king of the Franks 629 – 639 Dagobert, last effective Merovingian king of the Franks 680 – 714 Pepin of Heristal, mayor of the palace 714 – 741 Charles Martel, mayor (732(3), battle of Tours/Poitiers) 714 – 751 - 768 Pepin the Short, mayor then king 768 – 814 Charlemagne, king (emperor, 800 – 814) 814 – 840 Louis the Pious (emperor) – 3 – The map shows the Carolingian empire, the Byzantine empire, and the Califate in 814. – 4 – The map shows the breakup of the Carolingian empire from 843–888. West Middle East 840–77 Charles the Bald 840–55 Lothair, emp. 840–76 Louis the German 855–69 Lothair II – 5 – The map shows the routes of various Germanic invaders from 150 to 1066. Our focus here is on those in dark orange, whom Shepherd calls ‘Northmen: Danes and Normans’, popularly ‘Vikings’. – 6 – The map shows Europe and the Byzantine empire about the year 1000. France Germany 898–922 Charles the Simple 919–36 Henry the Fowler 936–62–73 Otto the Great, kg. emp. 973–83 Otto II 987–96 Hugh Capet 983–1002 Otto III 1002–1024 Henry II 996–1031 Robert II the Pious 1024–39 Conrad II 1031–1060 Henry I 1039–56 Henry III 1060–1108 Philip I 1056–1106 Henry IV – 7 – The map shows Europe and the Mediterranean lands in roughly the year 1097.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Notes on Manors & Manorial History
    SOME NOTES ON MANORS & MANORIAL HISTORY BY A. HAMILTON THOMPSON, M.A.. D.Litt.. F.B.A..F.S.A. Some Notes on Manors & Manorial History By A. Hamilton Thompson, M.A., D.Litt., F.B.A., F.S.A. The popular idea of a manor assumes that it is a fixed geo­ graphical area with definite boundaries, which belongs to a lord with certain rights over his tenants. In common usage, we speak of this or that lordship, almost in the same way in which we refer to a parish. It is very difficult, however, to give the word an exclusively geographical meaning. If we examine one of those documents which are known as Inquisitions post mortem, for example, we shall find that, at the death of a tenant who holds his property directly from the Crown, the king's escheator will make an extent, that is, a detailed valuation, of his manors. This will consist for the most part of a list of a number of holdings with names of the tenants, specifying the rent or other services due to the lord from each. These holdings will, it is true, be generally gathered together in one or more vills or townships, of which the manor may roughly be said to consist. But it will often be found that there are outlying holdings in other vills which owe service to a manor, the nucleus of which is at some distance. Thus the members of the manor of Rothley lay scattered at various distances from their centre, divided from it and from each other by other lordships.
    [Show full text]
  • Feudalism Manors
    effectively defend their lands from invasion. As a result, people no longer looked to a central ruler for security. Instead, many turned to local rulers who had their Recognizing own armies. Any leader who could fight the invaders gained followers and politi- Effects cal strength. What was the impact of Viking, Magyar, and A New Social Order: Feudalism Muslim invasions In 911, two former enemies faced each other in a peace ceremony. Rollo was the on medieval head of a Viking army. Rollo and his men had been plundering the rich Seine (sayn) Europe? River valley for years. Charles the Simple was the king of France but held little power. Charles granted the Viking leader a huge piece of French territory. It became known as Northmen’s land, or Normandy. In return, Rollo swore a pledge of loyalty to the king. Feudalism Structures Society The worst years of the invaders’ attacks spanned roughly 850 to 950. During this time, rulers and warriors like Charles and Rollo made similar agreements in many parts of Europe. The system of governing and landhold- ing, called feudalism, had emerged in Europe. A similar feudal system existed in China under the Zhou Dynasty, which ruled from around the 11th century B.C.until 256 B.C.Feudalism in Japan began in A.D.1192 and ended in the 19th century. The feudal system was based on rights and obligations. In exchange for military protection and other services, a lord, or landowner, granted land called a fief.The person receiving a fief was called a vassal.
    [Show full text]
  • Articles of Chivalry
    TThhee AArrttiicclleess ooff CChhiivvaallrryy We as Chivalric Knights of the Holy Order of the Fellow Soldiers of Jacques DeMolay, as we affix our signatures to this set of articles, do hereby agree to uphold them as a covenant upon which we wish to base our lives as Sir Knights. We further recognize that through the incorporation of these articles into our lives, we can better represent ourselves and the Order of DeMolay. We further assert our willingness to be removed from the roles of Knighthood should it ever be found that our conduct has been contrary to the principles herein set. Article 1 - A Sir Knight is Honorable 1. A Sir Knight must accept responsibility for the one thing that is within his control: himself. 2. A Sir Knight must always keep his word, realizing that a man who's word is as good as his bond is held in high esteem by all. 3. A Sir Knight must never speak harshly or critically of a Brother, unless it be in private and tempered with the love one Brother has for another, always speaking to him for the purpose of aiding him to be a better man. 4. A Sir Knight must always rely on his instincts and those lessons taught to him throughout the course of his DeMolay career when deciding right from wrong. Article 2 - A Sir Knight Shows Excellence 1. A Sir Knight must commit to excellence, and seek the highest level of excellence in all aspects of his life. 2. A Sir Knight must always excel in his education, putting forth his best effort in all his school works.
    [Show full text]
  • Feudal Contract – Medieval Europe
    FEUDAL CONTRACT – MEDIEVAL EUROPE Imagine you are living in Medieval Europe (500 – 1500). Despite the fact that a feudal contract is an unwritten contract, write out a feudal contract. You and a partner will take on the roles of lord and vassal: - You Need to Write Out the Contract: - The lord can have a certain title (i.e. duke/duchess, baron/baroness, or count/countess), and specify what social standing the vassal has (i.e. lower-level knight, peasant, etc.). - In your contract, specify how much acreage in land (fief) will be given to the vassal. - Specify how much military service the vassal will serve, and what kind of fighting they will do (i.e. cavalry, foot soldier…) - How much money will a vassal provide his lord if he is kidnapped, and if there is a ransom? How much will a vassal provide for one of the lord’s children’s weddings? (Specify money in terms of weight and precious metal such as “30 lbs. gold”). - Specify other duties from the readings (Feudalism HW and class handout) that will be done by a lord and vassal (i.e. the lord will give safety and will defend his vassal in court). - List any other duties a lord/vassal will do of your choosing. (i.e. farm a certain crop, make a certain craft) - Define feudalism, fief, knight, vassal, and serfs. - Sign and date your contract at the bottom to make it official, and make sure the date is between the year 500 and 1500. Example: Lord/Vassal Feudal Contract: I am a peasant (name of vassal) and will serve and be the vassal of (name of Lord/Duke).
    [Show full text]
  • Peasantry and the French Revolution
    “1st. What is the third estate? Everything. 2nd. What has it been heretofore in the political order? Nothing. 3rd. What does it demand? To become something therein.” -Abbe Sieyes 1789 Pre-Revolution • Louis XVI came to the throne in the midst of a serious financial crisis • France was nearing bankruptcy due to the outlays that were outpacing income • A new tax code was implemented under the direction of Charles Alexandre de Calonne • This proposal included a land tax • Issues with the Three Estates and inequality within it Peasant Life pre-Revolution • French peasants lived better than most of their class, but were still extremely poor • 40% worked land, but it was subdivided into several small plots which were shared and owned by someone else • Unemployment was high due to the waning textile industry • Rent and food prices continued to rise • Worst harvest in 40 years took place during the winter of 1788-89 Peasant Life pre-Revolution • The Third Estate, which was the lower classes in France, were forced by the nobility and the Church to pay large amounts in taxes and tithes • Peasants had experienced a lot of unemployment during the 1780s because of the decline in the nation’s textile industry • There was a population explosion of about 25-30% in roughly 90 years that did not coincide with a rise in food production Direct Causes of the Revolution • Famine and malnutrition were becoming more common as a result of shortened food supply • Rising bread prices contributes to famine • France’s near bankruptcy due to their involvement in various
    [Show full text]
  • The Southern Italian Peasant: World View and Political Behavior
    UC Irvine UC Irvine Previously Published Works Title The Southern Italian Peasant: World View and Political Behavior Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6b29j30j Journal Anthropological Quarterly, 34(1) ISSN 0003-5491 Author Cancian, F Publication Date 1961 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 4.0 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California THE SOUTHERN ITALIAN PEASANT: WORLD VIEW AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOR' FRANK CANCIAN Cambridge, Massachusetts Despite the considerable attention that has been given to the family and community organization of the southern Italian peasant in the past few years' the sum of the available literature is as yet inadequate for accurate appraisal of many aspects of the peasant's culture. One of the fullest and most sharply focused of the reports that have appeared is Edward C. Banfield's The Moral Basis of a Backward Society (1958). Although the book contains much valuable information for the student of peasant society and culture, a major part of the analysis is open to serious question. In the light of the present lack of information on south- crn Italy, it seems particularly important to put certain additional facts and alternative interpretations on record. In his study of a village which he calls Montegrano, Banfield is specifically concerned with "what accounts for the political in- capacity of the village" (1958:31). By "political incapacity" he means the apparent lack of ability to form voluntary economic and political associations devoted to the benefit of the community as a whole or a part of it larger than the nuclear family.
    [Show full text]
  • FEUDAL SYSTEM GOVERNMENT the Government of Europe During the Middle Ages Was Based on the Feudal System
    MIDDLE AGES FEUDAL SYSTEM GOVERNMENT The government of Europe during the Middle Ages was based on the feudal system. This meant small communities were formed around a local lord and a manor. The lord owned the land and everything in it. Peasants were kept safe in return for their service to the lord. The lord provided the king with soldiers and taxes. MANOR The manor was at the center of Middle Ages life. It was run by a local lord. He lived in a large house or castle. People gathered there during celebrations or for protection when attacked. A small village was built around the castle, including a local church. Farms spread out from there and were worked by the peasants. MIDDLE AGES HIERARCHY King *Top leader in the land *Could not control all of the land by himself, so it was divided up among the Barons *In return, Barons pledged their loyalty and soldiers to the king *When the king died, his firstborn son inherited the throne *If one family stayed in power for a long time, this was known as a dynasty *Kings believed they were given their right to rule by God, known as “divine right” Bishop *Top church leader in the kingdom *Managed an area called a diocese *The Catholic Church was very powerful in most parts of Medieval Europe, making the Bishop powerful *The Church received a tithe of 10 percent from all people, making some Bishops very rich Baron *Ruled large areas of land called fiefs *Reported directly to the king *Very powerful *Divided their land among lords who ran individual manors *Maintained an army at the king’s service *If
    [Show full text]
  • Monarchs During Feudal Times
    Monarchs During Feudal Times At the very top of feudal society were the monarchs, or kings and queens. As you have learned, medieval monarchs were also feudal lords. They were expected to keep order and to provide protection for their vassals. Most medieval monarchs believed in the divine right of kings, the idea that God had given them the right to rule. In reality, the power of monarchs varied greatly. Some had to work hard to maintain control of their kingdoms. Few had enough wealth to keep their own armies. They had to rely on their vassals, especially nobles, to provide enough knights and soldiers. In some places, especially during the Early Middle Ages, great lords grew very powerful and governed their fiefs as independent states. In these cases, the monarch was little more than a figurehead, a symbolic ruler who had little real power. In England, monarchs became quite strong during the Middle Ages. Since the Roman period, a number of groups from the continent, including Vikings, had invaded and settled England. By the mid­11th century, it was ruled by a Germanic tribe called the Saxons. The king at that time was descended from both Saxon and Norman (French) families. When he died without an adult heir, there was confusion over who should become king. William, the powerful Duke of Normandy (a part of present­day France), believed he had the right to the English throne. However, the English crowned his cousin, Harold. In 1066, William and his army invaded England. William defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings and established a line of Norman kings in England.
    [Show full text]
  • The Peasant Question and the Russian Revolution
    The Peasant Question and the Russian Revolution: Revisiting Old Orthodoxies 1 By Paul Kellogg Professor, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Athabasca University March 31, 2019 Prepared for the conference, “Marx and Marxism 2019: Marxism without taboos – confronting oppressions” Núcleo Interdisciplinar de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Marx e o Marxismo August 2019, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Draft only Not for publication Citation with permission of author [email protected] Bio Paul Kellogg is professor and chair of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies at Athabasca University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is the author of Escape from the Staple Trap: Canadian Political Economy after Left Nationalism (2015: University of Toronto Press) and Truth Behind Bars: Reflections on the Fate of the Russian Revolution (Forthcoming 2019: Athabasca University Press). 1 Revised version of this paper forthcoming as a chapter in Kellogg, Truth Behind Bars – Reflections on the Fate of the Russian Revolution. 2 Outline Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 The Patriarchal commune (mir) ...................................................................................... 1 Petty producers and the Petit-bourgeoisie ...................................................................... 5 Mistaken theory, catastrophic Practice ......................................................................... 15 War on the Kulaks and socialist Consciousness ..........................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Knight Or Wight in Keats's 'La Belle Dame'?
    1 Knight or Wight in Keats’s ‘La Belle Dame’? An ancient ditty reconsidered1 What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ Much like the protagonist of Keats’s famous poem, literary critics have often been driven to feverish anguish over the textual condition of ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’.2 If one were to adapt the poem’s (or poems’) first line, ‘Oh what can ail thee, critic of Keats?’, the answer might well be the textual undecidability of the poem itself. This essay will offer a strategy for dealing with this irresolution without having to decide the text of ‘La Belle Dame’ and, simultaneously, a possible cure for a textual ailment afflicting literary criticism more widely. It is necessary to begin with an account of the poem’s textual evolution, as it can be ascertained from the surviving copies, as dispassionately as possible. Textual histories of ‘La Belle Dame’ outstrip the poem’s own bibliographic proliferation, but few are free from critical bias, and some even introduce their own corruptions of transmission. During late April 1819 Keats wrote an early draft of the poem into his long, spring letter to George and Georgiana Keats.3 Although this draft constitutes an already substantially 1 This article is dedicated to my students of ‘Mediaevalism’, in memory of happy mead- fuelled tutorials at St Andrews, 2004. I’d like to thank Dr Helen Smith of the University of York for commenting on an early draft of this work. 2 References to the poem are, initially at least, from Jack Stillinger (ed.), The Poems of John Keats (London: Heinemann, 1978), pp.
    [Show full text]