Feudalism in Europe

First. . .

• What are political, economic, and social systems?– Political refers to government: the way a

group is governed, by whom, the laws of the group, etc.

– Economic refers to the economy of the group: how laws and events affect trade, employment, the flow of money, taxes, etc.

– Social refers to the effects of laws and events on the people’s lives

Invaders Attack Western Europe

The Vikings invade from the north• From Scandinavia• Seafarers• Fearsome• Remember Leif Ericson?

He sailed to the North America around 1000 (500 years before Christopher Columbus).

The Magyars attacked from the East (present-day Hungary)

The Muslims invade from the South:

• Came across the Mediterranean from North Africa

• Invaded through present-day Spain and Italy

This is Alhambra, built by the Muslim conquerors in Granada, Spain in 889

What were the results of these invasions?

• Widespread disorder and suffering• Constant danger• Kings could not defend their lands• People no longer looked to a central

ruler for security• People turned to local rulers who had

their own armies• Feudalism arose in Europe

Feudalism• A political and social system based

on rights and obligations– In exchange for military protection and

other services, a lord (landowner) granted a fief (land) to a vassal (person receiving the fief)

– The vassal would pledge loyalty to the lord

What are Serfs?

• Most people in medieval times were peasants (people who worked the land)

• Most peasants were serfs who worked the land for the lords

• Serfs could not:– leave the land they were born on–marry without the lord’s permission– be bought or sold (so they were not slaves)

• The serfs’ labor belonged to the lord

Manors: The Economic Side of Feudalism

• The manor is the lord’s estate• The manor system is the economic

arrangement based on the rights and obligations between a lord and his serfs– The lord provides the serf with housing

and protection– The serf took care of the lord’s land,

animals, and maintained the estate

Serfs worked the lord’s land in exchange for a place to live and protection.

The Medieval Manor

• A manor usually covered a few square miles of land

• Peasants rarely traveled more than 25 miles from their manor

• Manors were self-sufficient; serfs produced or raised everything they or the lord needed for daily life

Manor Life• Peasant life was harsh– They paid taxes to the lord (for grinding

grain, marriage, etc.)– They paid a tithe (church tax) equal to

one-tenth of their income– They lived in tiny houses with their

animals– Everyone in the family worked– They had little food, so illness and

malnutrition were common– The average life expectancy was 35