Feudalism

• Feudalism is a term used by historians to describe the governmental system and the relationships between landowners and warriors
• Warriors, known as knights, would pledge his allegiance to a lord, who would in turn give that knight land
• The lord would grant a fief (property) to the knight, who would then become the lord's vassal (servant) this was called the "feudal compact"  (a deal or contract)
• The vassal must fight for the land when he needs it and attend his court once a month
• A vassal was required to pay homage to his lord, usually this meant keeling down and taking the lord's hands in his while speaking an oath of loyalty
• Men were apprenticed to older knights before they could become a full knight themselves
• When a knight died, his fief would revert to his son, through his lord would be protector of that son if he was underage, or if it was a daughter

• Church land was bound up in feudalism like most other land
• Some clergy were known to fight as knights themselves
• By the 11th century, most clergy assigned fiefs to vassals who fought on their behalf

• Barans were lords of large territories who usually paid homage to a king
• Often a baron's army could outnumber that of a king, which kept a check on the king's power
• The divine right of the king gave him power over his vassals, no matter how much land they had
• In countries like France and England, the kings built up enough land and power to rule effectively over their barons

• Medieval society was divided into three estates the clergy the nobility and the common people
• Usually the peasantry farmed on large plantations known as manors which were owned by a lord or lady of the nobility or a member of the clergy
• iron plows and water powered grinding mills helped with agricultural production but the yield was still minuscule by today's standards
• THREE FIELD SYSTEM
• One in fall, one in spring and one was left to reconstitute its fertility they were rotated
• Most peasants were surfs
• Lady of the house ran household operations, oversaw servants, entertained guests and ran the manor when her husband was away

• Most medieval towns were surrounded by fortified walls
• Residences also sprang up outside the walls in the suburbs
• Towns were dominated by a main church a central marketplace
• Buildings for the craft guilds and the wealthiest families would also be in the center of the town
• Townspeople are free but they still have a hierarchy - merchants, skilled craftsmen and artisans, then unskilled laborers and apprentices (ALL ABOVE SERFS)
• The merchants, crafsmen and artisans formed their own groups called guilds which regulated their trade and protected its members
• craftsmen were classified as masters journeymen and apprentices
• once became  amaster after spending years learning as an apprentice working as a paid journeyman for a number of years completeing his masterpiece
• Guilds participated in religious feasts and festivals and social organizations and usually provided for charities