Feudalism developed in Western Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire to address the lack of a central governing authority. With the collapse of Rome, hundreds of independent kingdoms emerged to fill the power vacuum. Peasants, facing insecurity, offered their labor to landowning lords in exchange for military protection. This led to the rise of a feudal system where lords provided security and land to vassals who then owed military service back to their lords. At the bottom were serfs who were bound to the land and provided labor but had little freedom. Overall, feudalism established hierarchies of obligation and service to maintain order in the unstable early Middle Ages following Rome's decline.

1. Feudalism in Western
Europe
Aim/Goal: How did feudalism answer problems
raised by the fall of the Roman Empire?

4. Fall of Rome
The fall of Rome in 476
A.D. changed the map
of Europe.
The once great empire
was replaced by
hundreds of little
kingdoms.

6. Collapse of the Central
Government
 During the Roman Empire, there was a central
government. It made laws and had armies to
protect people.
 However, with the fall of Rome, the central
government collapsed.
 Hundreds of little kingdoms governed in its
place.

7. Document #1
1. Historians called this time period the “Dark
Ages,” because ____________
________________________________.
2. Since many Europeans forgot what the Greeks
and Romans contributed and many people
did not know how to read or write, who
became the “teachers” to the people of
Europe? The teachers became __________
_____________________________.

8. The
Early
Middle
Ages
was a
dangerous
time.

9. Oh My…What are we going
to do?

10. Document #2
3. Feudalism means ____________
_______________________________.
Europeans created “feudalism” because
____________________________________
___________________________________.
4. Self-sufficient means _______________
_____________________________.
Give an example of someone you know who is
self-sufficient. ________________________.

11. Feudalism
 Feudalism was the political, social,
economic and military system of the
Middle Ages.
 In a feudal society, land is exchanged for
military service and loyalty.
 The ownership of land was the basis or
power.

12. NO POWER, JUST HAS THE
TITLE
LORDS/VASSALS
/SERFS
/SERFS

14. Lords
People who owned land
were called lords.
Lords gave land to lesser
lords called vassals.
A vassal had to obey
his lord and give military
service and loyalty to
his lord.

16. Peasants Needed
Protection
 Peasants were frightened.
 They turned to landowners for protection.
 Peasants offered their labor in exchange
for protection.
 These peasants were called serfs.

17. It was a dangerous
time to be a
peasant. Poor
people turned
to rich landowners
with armies for
protection.

18. Serfs
 A serf was “bound to the land.”
 He could not leave his lord’s land.
 He was not a slave because he could not
be sold.
 But he was not free because he could not
leave.

19. Assignment:
 Write a paragraph explaining who you
would want to be in the European feudal
structure (King, Lord, Knight, Serf) and
why?