8. 2
The
feudal
society
and
its
origins
The
word
Feudalism
comes
from
feud
(or
fief).
This
is
the
extension
of
land
which
belonged
to
a
king
or
a
noble
(the
feudal
lord),
who
could
cede
it
to
another
less
powerful
noble
who
then
became
his
vassal.
During
a
commenda6on
ceremony
the
vassal
swore
loyalty
to
his
lord.
He
then
owed
him
advice,
military
service
and
some6mes
financial
aid.
The
vassals
could
become
lord.
At
the
top
of
the
feudal
social
pyramid,
there
was
the
king,
considered
primus
inter
pares
(first
among
equals)
9. toll
village
The
Fief
The
basic
unit
of
land
holding
was
forest
crops
mill
lord’s castle
village
the
manor
(or
seignury).
A
lord
could
hold
one
many
manors.
The
land
of
the
manor
was
divided
into
the
demesne,
held
by
the
lord
for
his
own
use,
and
the
tenures
held
by
the
peasants
in
return
for
rents
or
feudal
du6es.
To
maintain
order
and
to
defend
themselves
from
enemies,
lords
relied
on
the
military
service
of
their
vassals.
10. True
or
false?
Correct
the
false
informaHon
A
fief
or
manor
was
a
castle
Everything
grown
on
a
demesne
belonged
to
the
lord.
The
lord
gave
the
land
to
the
peasants
so
that
they
could
grow
their
own
food.
The
lords
allowed
merchants
to
cross
their
land
and
bridges
free
of
charge
11. Match
the
words
and
the
definiHons
Serf
fief
vassal
a.
Land
granted
to
a
noble
by
the
king
or
a
higher
noble.
b.
A
person
who
received
land
from
the
king
or
a
higher
noble
in
return
for
homage
and
allegiance.
c.
A
member
of
the
lowest
feudal
class
obliged
to
work
for
a
noble.
12. LORD
VASSAL
economic aid
counsel
military
protection
legal
defence
sustenance
military
aid
13.
14. Noblewomen
The
most
important
func6on
of
noblewomen
was
to
marry
and
have
children.
Marriage
was
arranged
by
parents.
Noblewomen
organised
the
servants,
educated
children
and
did
sewing
and
weaving.
Women
who
did
not
marry
went
into
convents
15. Feudal
society
was
divided
into
three
orders:
Nobles
or
lords:
these
were
privileged
members
of
society.
They
controlled
the
lands.
They
were
the
knights
and
their
families.
Their
duty
was
to
defend
the
popula6on.
They
fought
on
horseback,
and
their
weapons
were
the
lance,
the
shield
and
the
mace.
Nobles
sons
started
their
military
training
when
they
were
eight
years
old.
They
served
as
pages
to
an
important
noble
and
learned
to
fight.
At
the
age
of
fiNeen,
they
became
squires
and
served
a
knight.
If
they
proved
their
worth,
about
five
years
later
they
were
made
knights
at
a
special
ceremony
17. Who
had
a
beIer
life,
noblemen
or
noblewomen?
Why?
18. The
clergy.
The
Pope
in
Rome
was
the
head
of
the
Church
and
he
had
great
influence,
and
he
could
excommunicate
a
king.
Below
the
Pope
the
Church
was
divided
into
two
groups:
-‐
the
secular
clergy
(
bishops,
priests,…)
who
lived
in
the
secular
world
and
ministered
to
ordinary
people.
-‐
the
regular
clergy
(
abbots,
monks,…)
who
lived
in
communi6es
in
monasteries
or
abbeys
and
followed
the
rules
of
a
religious
order.
Nuns
and
monks
lived
in
convents
and
monasteries.
They
spent
most
of
their
6me
in
prayer
and
medita6on.
They
also
worked
in
the
garden
and
looked
aNer
the
poor
and
sick.
Some
monks
worked
in
the
library,
where
they
copied
manuscripts
by
hand.
Pope
SECULAR CLERGY
REGULAR CLERGY
bishops abbots
priests superiors of convents
and monasteries
friars, monks and nuns
19. refectory:
dining room
church
cloister
chapter house:
a meeting room
library
guest house
kitchen storeroom
dormitory
garden
infirmary
26. Peasants
Peasants:
they
made
up
90
percent
of
society.
They
oNen
lived
on
the
manor.
They
could
be
free
(villain
or
freemen)
or
not
(serf).
Serf:
had
a
very
hard
life,
they
could
not
leave
the
fief
or
get
married
without
permission.
They
worked
in
the
tenures,
paid
rent,
worked
for
free
on
the
land
(
labour
or
corvées).
They
had
to
pay
the
lords
to
use
the
bakery
oven,
the
mill,
the
bridge
or
the
wine
press.
They
prac6sed
two-‐field
crop
rota6on
and
used
rudimentary
tools
to
farm.
Freemen:
They
could
leave
the
fief
and
worked
on
the
lord’s
land
and
paid
rent
but
they
kept
some
of
the
harvest.
They
paid
a
6the
of
the
harvest
to
the
Church
27.
28. 1. forest 2. Lord’s castle 3. crops 4. mill
5. church 6. house 7. tolls
29. Serfs
or
freemen?
Read
the
statements
and
decided
who
they
refer
to
They
could
not
get
married
without
permission__________
They
could
make
personal
decisions___________
They
owed
a
6the
to
the
Church_____________
They
were
not
paid
for
their
work__________
They
could
leave
the
fief__________________
Freeman
Serfs
