Chapter 11 Manors, Towns, and Kingdoms, 1000-1300

Today in class we started our last chapter if the year. This chapter is about the medieval times and feudalism.We took notes from a power-point that was made by the text book company. Here are my notes:

• 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 ten become the lord's vassal(servant)- this was called the "feudal compact"
• The vassal must fight for the lord when he needs it and attend his court once a month
• A vassal was a professional relationship not like a servant where the servant cant look or talk to the lord
• Homage and Knighthood
• a vassal was required to pay homage to his lord, usually this meant kneeling down and taking the lord's hand 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. 
• The Feudalization of the Church
• Some clergy were known to fight as knights themselves
• Feudal States
• Barons were lords of large territories who usually paid homage to a king
• Often Baron's army could outnumber that of a king, which kept in 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
• Peasants and Lords
• The Manorial Estate
• 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
• To maintain the health of the soil, the "three-field system" was used where two fields were planted(on in fall, one in spring) and one field was left to reconsitute its fertility- then they were rotated
• Villages sprung up on and around manors with small cottages for the peasants and a large manor house for the lord and lady
• The people of the manor
• the lord was in charge and he gave people things to do
• Stewards or bailiffs oversaw everyday things for the lord
• The lady of the house ran household operations, oversaw servants, entertained guests and ran the manor when her husband was away
• Most peasants were serfs, meaning they were bound to the land and to their lords for "labor service" a few days each week
• The serfs were responsible for the "internal colonization  of Europe, that is the cultivating and settling of previously uninhibited land
• During this time the population was rising and this is why
• trade and towns
• The agricultural boom after 1000 allowed for the establishment of many towns across Europe
• Farm produce and animals were sold in towns and people with wealth brouht their luxury items there
• Items like spices and silks came overland from port cities like Venice and Genoa, who received the goods from eastern capitals like Constantinople
• European exported wool, linen, horses , weaponry and slaves, to name a few
• England and the low countries were paticulary known for their trade in wool and cloth
• The Location and Appearance of Towns
• 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 and a central marketplace
• Buildings for the craft guilds and the wealthiest families would also be in the center of the town
• The Life of the Townspeople
• Through townspeople were free unlike serfs, they still had a hierarchy: merchants at the top,then skilled craftsmen and artisans, then unskilled laborers ad apprentices
• The Guilds
• Merchants, craftsmen 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 a master after spending years learning as an apprentice, working as a paid journeyman for a number of years, and completing his "masterpiece"
• Guilds participated in religious feasts and festivals, social organizations and usually provided well for charitites