The Feudal System
World History
Unit #3 Middle Ages in Europe
The Feudal System
Feudalism was a social, political, and economic system that dominated all aspects of medieval life. The economic portion of feudalism was centered around the lord's estates or manor, and is called manorialism. A lord's manor would include peasant villages, a church, farm land, a mill, and the lord's castle or manor house.
Manors were self-sufficient; all economic activity occurred on the manor. This meant that little to no trade occurred during this time period. Most of the peasants during the Middle Ages were serfs. Serfs were generally farmers who were tied to the land. They were not slaves because they could not be bought or sold, but they could not readily leave the manor either. Serfs were given land to farm in exchange for service to their lord. This service usually involved working the lord's fields, maintaining roads and the manor, and providing military service in times of war. Serfs paid taxes to their lord in the form of crops. This is also how the paid the fee to use the manor's mill or other services.
The lords had responsibilities also under this system. In return for the service and fees paid by the peasants, they provided land and protection to them. Lords also had to pay fees and give service to high lords and the king. Feudalism affected all levels of society.
- Kings
- Give large land grants to Upper Lords called fiefs
- Give Protection
- Receives money, military service, and advice
- Upper Lords / Vassals / Nobels
- Give land grants to Lesser Lords
- Give Protection
- Receives money, military service
- Knights
- Give land to peasants/serfs
- Receives crops, labor
- Merchants / Craftsmen
- Provided Specialized Goods to the Knights / Nobels / Lords
- Peasants / Serfs
- Receives land to farm
- Pays with labor, crops
A Feudal Manor
- Why were serfs tied to the manor?
- To whom did knights owe their loyalty? Why?
- Explain how a manor was self-sufficient.
- What two things did lords provide to those lower than them in feudal society?
- What services did serfs provide to the manor?