The feudal system in Norman England established a strict social hierarchy. The king was at the top and owned all the land, granting it to barons who fought for him. In return, barons gave land and protection to knights, who promised loyalty and military service. At the bottom were peasants, who lived and worked on the lands owned by lords above them. William the Conqueror commissioned the Domesday Book in 1086 to survey all land and property holdings in England to assess taxes, establishing a record so thorough it was likened to the biblical Day of Judgment.

1. Unit 2.4 The Feudal System
Norman England by Ms. Farida

2. Words to learn
Terminology Definition
Feudal system The structure of medieval society where land was exchanged for
service and loyalty
Hierarchy A form of social organisation where ppl are ranked according to
status or power
Vassal Anyone who was below you in medieval society and had to call you
my lord or my lady
Subjects A member of a country or territory under the rule of a monarch
Baron The highest rank of medieval society, ruling land directly on behalf
of the king.

3. More words to learn
Terminology Definition
Fealthy A pledge of loyalty from a feudal vassal to their lord
Hereditary Passed through a family from parents to their children
Bishops A Christian clergymen with authority over a large number of
priests and churches
Peasants The lowest member of medieval society usually a farm
labourer
Doomsday book A book commissioned by William the Conquerer detailing the
possessions of every settlement in England

4. The Feudal System
• Under the control
of William as his
Norman knights,
English society
was transformed,
and a rigid social
structure
developed.
• The higher up you
were, the more
land, wealth and
power you held.
The lower down
you were the
poorer and less
free you became.

5. The structure of feudal system
• English society
had a clear
hierarchy, shaped
like a pyramid: few
on top were the
strongest and the
many bottom
were the weakest,
owing their duty
and service to
those above them.
• Anyone below you
was your vassal
and anyone above
you is your lord.

6. 1. The King
• Right at the top of the
feudal system was the king.
It was believed that the king
was appointed by God and
• Only those with royal blood
who were descended from
William the Conqueror
could sit on the throne. The
King was answerable only to
God and all who lived in his
kingdom were his subjects.
• However king still needed
loyal friends to rule
different parts of his
kingdom on his behalf.

7. 2. The barons
• For friendship, king granted lands to his barons , around
200 of the most powerful knights in the country
• In return for their land, the barons had to pay homage to
him and swear an oath of fealty.
• This meant that if ever there was a war, the barons had to
fight on behalf of their king.

8. 2. The barons
• In the center of their vast stretches
of land, barons built fortified castles
to keep then safe from enemy
attacks.
• Some had the noble title “Earl” and
their titles and lands were
hereditary, meaning that they
passed down from the father to his
eldest son
• Barons were also among bishops,
and archbishops in church. The
church was extremely powerful and
owned much of England’s land.
Bishops enjoyed huge wealth and
influence and were part of the
ruling class
• Denying words of bishops means
denying the words from the gods.

9. 3. The knights
• In order to fight for their
king, barons needed their
own armies.
• So they divided their own
land into smaller areas led
by their knights.
• Each barons had around
20 knights.
• A knight would swear an
oath of fealty to his baron
and gain a number of
manor houses or smaller
castles in return.

10. 4. The peasants
• Below the knights were the peasants, who made up the great
majority of medieval society.
• Many were bound to work the land of their lord until the day they
died.
• Some peasants were not allowed to marry or leave home without
their lord’s permission

11. 4. The peasants
• In certain occasion lord would
help the peasants but if they
migrate, they were not entitle
to receive help from the local
lord.
• A lord would grant his peasants
a small area of land to farm ,
and they had to work his land
in return.
• The difference between a kind
and a cruel lord could means
the difference between
happiness and misery for a
medieval vassal.

12. The Domesday book
• Two years before he died,
William the Conqueror
ordered that a survey
should be written
detailing the possessions
if every single settlement
in England. As king,
William wanted to know
precisely what this new
country of his contained.
• Once he he knew what
English ppl owned, he
could tax them
accordingly to pay for his
armies and castles

13. Collecting census data
• For 2 years , Norman commissioners were sent to all over England with the
order that not a single cow nor pig should escape their notice.
• They visited 13 418 different town and villages and wrote down 2 million
words and named it “The King’s Roll” known as Domesday book detailing
the possessions of every settlement in England

14. How Domesday Book got its name?
• Doomsday is another name
for the Day of judgement.
When Christians believe
that Jesus Christ will return
to earth and pass
judgement on both living
and the dead
• The Anglo saxon chose this
nickname with sarcastic
sense of humor as they
disliked a foreign king
forcing them to declare
everything they owned so
that he could tax them.

15. Questions
• What was the shape of the feudal system?
• Who was at the most bottom of the feudal
system?
• Who is at the top of the feudal system?
• How did lower status called the higher status?
• Who was the vassal?

16. Question
• In return to get the land, what did barons do
for the king?
• What power did lords have over the peasants
who worked on his land?
• Why did William the Conqueror introduce the
Kings Roll?
• What is the other name of The King’s roll? And
why is it name as such?

17. The end