5.1 Feudal system/ Lords and Vassals

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

 The Time of monks and knights

 

5.1 The feudal system

After this lesson you are able to explain:

- How the Franks came to Western Europe and who they were,

- Who Charlemagne was and what he did,

- How the Frankish kings divided power to rule their land

- How the Frankish empire came to an end

The great migrations

The society of the Franks

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The three estates (de drie standen)

Estate : a group to which you belonged from birth.

There were 3 estates:

1st estate: CLERGY (geestelijkheid)

•           who? everybody who worked for the Catholic Church
•           for example:  monks, priests, bishops, the pope
•           task: PRAY for the people, copy books, make beer.

2nd estate: NOBILITY (de adel)

•           who? rich land owners
•           for example:  a count (graaf), a duke (hertog), the                 king
•           task: PROTECT the people, fight in king's army

3rd estate: PEASANTS (de boeren)

•           who? everybody else
•           for example:  peasants (90%), craftsmen, soldiers,
•           task: WORK (mainly provide all the food)

The feudal system

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Feudal System

Manor System

In the Feudal System:

• The nobles became the king's VASSALS (= leenmannen)
• The knights became the nobles' vassals
• The person above you was your LORD
• Eventually, from the bottom upwards, everybody was LOYAL to the monarch (king) 

The Manor System:

• = the bottom part of the Feudal pyramid.
• = a deal between the SERFS and their LORD

• The Manor = the land on which the lord and the serfs lived.
• In short: the serfs can use the lord's land and must work for him in exchange for protection

manor house

The place where the lord lived and from where he ruled the village. 

Many times the manor was fortified by walls. Sometimes the manor was built on top of a small hill and surrounded by a palissade. 

The manor farm consisted of the manor (= fortified farmhouse / castle) + some land with orchards, farming fields and work places around it. 

mill

The mill was where people grounded wheat and grain. 

It was owned by the lord.

Serf peasants could use the mill to grind their grain, but of course they had to pay the lord for this. The payment was not money, but a percentage of the produce of the peasant.

farm

The houses the peasants (= farmers) lived in were not as nice as the manor house. They were thatched roofed

The palissade surrounds the manor farm. If the domain is attacked the peasants can find shelter within the walls of the manor farm.

Peasants worked on farm land for the lord in exchange for protection and land.

church

The church is where holy events took place (weddings, sermons, funerals). The church is also where the sick would be taken care of.

Sometimes the lord used this place to speak justice. He could hand out punishments to criminals.

A Shepard worked with the livestock in the fields. This would help produce food and cloth for the village

orchard

the manor's orchard. 

servile duties

This meant that serfs needed to work for the lord two or three days a week. They worked the lord's fields, or built and repaired his palissade.

The Manor

A. where the lord lives

B. Domain: where the peasants live

PEASANTS & SERFS

They are both farmers. 

The difference:

• Peasants are free farmers and have their own farmland. But they must pay taxes to their lord
• Serfs are not-free farmers. They are bound to the lord's land must work for the lord in exchange for protection

The manor system:

a deal between the lord and his serfs

Disadvantages of feudalism

Which Typical Aspect is shown in the picture?

1. manorial system and serfs
2. feudalism
3. agricultural Revolution
4. rise of citizenry and independent cities

Which statements are correct?

I. In the feudal system vassals promised
military aid to the king
II. The manorial system is named after the peasants who
worked on the lord's domain

1. I + II are correct
2. I + II are incorrect
3. I is correct and II is incorrect
4. I is incorrect and II is correct

Zet de woorden op de juiste plek in de tekst.

Hoe bestuurde Karel de Grote zijn Rijk?

Na het einde van het ...... komen in Europa de ...... aan de macht. Hun koning ...... kon niet alles alleen besturen. Daarom leent hij stukken land uit aan ...... Zij besturen dat stuk land voor hem. In ruil daarvoor ...... ze belasting, hielpen hem in een ...... en zworen ...... aan hem. Deze manier van besturen noemen we het ...... Ridders waren ...... te ...... en moesten ...... voor de leenheer als er een oorlog was. 

Romeinse Rijk

Friezen

Franken

Karel

Clovis

leenmannen

leenheren

betalen

kregen

oorlog

vrede

trouw

voet

leenstelsel

soldaten

paard

vechten