Throughout the course of Medieval society, the people were burdened with many struggles which plagued the Middle Ages. However, through the struggles and times of conflict the people preserved through the hard times. During the difficult times, religion, politics and interaction played a significant role in medieval society. Religion played a major role in medieval society. The church provided stable leadership, administered education and encouraged good morals. Until the church stepped in, Medieval Europe was crumbling, and Barbarian tribes began to carve out their own kingdoms, leaving Medieval Europe in a declining state. The church took care of the poor, sick and elderly. As a result, many people relied heavily on the church,and because …show more content…
When Edward the Confessor died without an official heir to the throne, William of Normandy claimed his right to the throne. However, the english nobles refused to grant this right to William and elected Harold of Wessex to the throne. Unwilling to step down, William invaded England. On October 14, 1066, both armies of William and Harold met in order to claim the throne for themselves. The war result with Harold dead and William of Normandy on the throne. William centralized feudalism and divided the land among his military followers or tenants-in-chief. William also extended his authority over the church and elected bishops. In addition, William also commended a great survey and recorded his findings in the Domesday book. By these actions, William of Normandy benefitted Medieval Society with his strong leadership skills. As time progressed, the Seljuk Turks seized the Holy Land and refused to allow the Europeans to make pilgrimages to the sacred sites. In efforts to free the Holy Land, Urban II addressed the people to save the Holy Land through Holy Crusades. In total, there were nine crusades; however, the first crusade and the King’s crusade stand to be the most beneficial. The first crusade was the most successful because the crusaders won back the Holy City and …show more content…
During the Middle Ages, the government evolved throughout the years from the feudal system into the national states. After the disintegration of Charlemagne’s empire, a new political system arose, the feudal system. In this system, local rulers offered nobles land estates in return for protection. Nobles then partitioned his land grant among others. This cycle continued until the land could no longer be broken up, this process is known as subinfeudation. Land grants were often given in a ceremony called Homage in which the landholders or lords would give the servant or vassal a land grant or fief. The feudal system became very common and became a very efficient way to maintain land as well as being protected. This protection was provided by knights who were extremely brave and devoted soldiers who followed a code of chivalry. This system became very popular until the revival of trade. When trade routes began to reopen, trading became a very common practice which took place in markets and fairs. Commercial towns began minting money and land was no longer looked upon for wealth. Towns also became very popular because they allowed the people to devote themselves to a specific trade. Even though towns were still ruled by a feudal lord, the feudal lord lost much of its power when land became less valuable. Because trade allowed people to travel, people became aware of others who
Religion has greatly influenced western civilization. Religion is a way to express ourselves in our own way. To be able to choose who or what we believe in freely. This gives us a sense of individualism and helps our civilization to grow and develop each religion. Just about every ancient culture practiced religion in some way. They were either monotheist, polytheist, atheist, or believed in “magic”. Western civilization was impacted by religion in more ways than one. Every religion contributed in their own way. Some religions even worked together to help create a stronger, more structured civilization.
According to this ideal, the duty of a knight was to unite Christian virtues with courage and spirit of battle, demonstrated by jousting. The lords attempted to regulate their lands and reduce the influence of the nobility and the Church. Their power, however, was dependent on their subjects in the economic system of feudalism, which defined power relations. A lord would lend a fiefdom to a vassal, which thus created a social relationship in that the vassal owed service and the lord owed protection. The kings delegated hereditary lands to the nobles who administered them from their well-fortified castles, which simultaneously separated them from the people they ruled. The majority of the people was farmers and was obliged to perform services for their rulers. Living conditions were poor, which contributed to high infant mortality rates. Epidemics spread by rodents erupted from the middle of the 14th century at irregular intervals and claimed the lives of millions of people...
This course dove into medieval history and touched on all of the most critical elements of the period giving a well-rounded look into the lives and cultures of the middle ages. As the class moved forward it became evident that religion is central to understanding the people, advances, and set backs of this period. We learned how inseparable the middle ages and religion are due to how completely it consumed the people, affected the art, and furthered academics. Since, there is a tendency to teach about history and literature separately from religion and since religion possessed a dominant position in every aspect of a medieval person’s life, while many of us had already looked into the period we missed some crucial cultural context allowing
The Duke of Normandy, couldn’t have chosen a better time in which to invade England. King Edward the Confessor of England had died January of 1066 with no heir to take his place, and William’s distant family claims to the throne were an opportunity to declare himself king. With the support of the Church and an army of around 7,000, William landed his arm...
...own the line towards a subsistence economy of farming what is to be lived on during its decline. This system of rural farming to survive remains in place throughout the medieval era until trade is reestablished during the late Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance. The Barbarians, upon their seizure of control of what Rome was, regionalized Europe. Europe remained a regional society up until and even after the formation of modern nation states. Medieval society was very regionalized and virtually no contact or commerce existed between any village or town. Christianity became the one thing that every European had in common. Christianity exerted its influence throughout all of secular Europe. The combination of these three elements, remnants of Rome, 'barbaric' societies and the rise of Christian culture shaped and molded the Middle Ages in Europe.
... class in the High Middle Ages heavily outweigh the protective structure provided by the government and churches. The social standing lessened as the importance of being ‘free’ or ‘unfree’ was no longer recognized by the upper class and the term peasant or serf became a harsh position to have. The political standing completely changed from going from mutual agreement to a dictating authority of government. The economic standing temporarily showed an incline in quality of life for peasants but ended with the same negative outcome as with the other aspects of their lives. The High Middle Age transformed the lives of peasants to a society controlled by absolute authority of the government and church; while the social, political, and economic standings of peasants in medieval society overall declined the quality of life for peasants in the most negatives ways possible.
Shawna Herzog, History 101-1, Class Lecture: 11.2 Society in the Middle Ages, 27 March 2014.
Medieval society was tossed into disarray, economies were fractured, the face of culture and religion changed forever. However, the plagues devastation was not all chaotic, there were benefits too, such as modern labour movements, improvements in medicine and a new outlook on life. Therefore, in order to analyse the impact the Black Death had on societies in the 14th century, this essay will consider the social, economic, cultural and religious factors in order to reach an overall conclusion. In order to learn how societies were impacted by the Black Death, it is important to note the situation prior to the epidemic. Britain and France had been at war since 1337, by August 1347 France was devastated.
In 1066 when his claim to the English throne was threatened by Harold Godwinson. Due to the fact that Harold Godwinson overlooked the dead king's wishes. Edward the Confessor, sworn his loyalty to William of Normandy when he died not to Harold. Harold Godwinson promptly had himself proclaimed king. It was only a matter of months before William, Duke of the large and powerful duchy of Normandy in France, paid Harold a visit to bring to his remembrance his own claim to the throne. William raised an army of Normans by promising them land and wealth when he came into his rightful kingship. October 14th 1066 he and William fought at the famous battle of Hastings. William and his army of Normans came, saw, and conquered. True to his promise to his fellow warriors, William systematically replaced the English nobility with Norman barons and noblemen who took control of the land, the people, and the government.
During the Middle Ages, feudalism served as the “governing political, social, and economic system of late medieval Europe.” Feudalism consisted of feudal liege lords giving land and protection to vassals, common men, in exchange for their allegiance and military service. Although this principle may at first sound like a fair trade, it in actuality restricted the entire society and took away every bit of their independence. In essence, this system could even be compared to a “mini-dictatorship” because the common people relied on ...
To conclude, during the medieval period in Europe, there was a drastic growth in population, which forged a causal relationship with a wide-scale need for greater forms of social authority and hierarchy than had previously existed. The creation of these new powers and ideals paved the way for a transformation in social and political cultures, with a foundation of Christian ideals in both courtly culture and peasant village communities.
The Roman Catholic Church’s reputation in wealth and power furnished them with the ability to have a major impact over feudal society. Their wealth earned them great power and loyalty from the royals and citizens. Their power was used to restrict not only peasant folk but also nobles and the monarch in following the Catholic faith. This influenced everyone’s daily life and morals. The Church was similar to a government institution where it sustained its own laws and rights. This provided stability to the land as people have benevolent morals with the assistance of religion. Education from the Church has initiated structural learning which made a gradual end to the barbaric era (Dark Ages). The Church’s legacy gained them the medieval reputation from society and this has influenced the reputation of the Church today.
The key to the feudal system was land, and luckily for the king, he owned almost all of it. Land was the currency of the Middle Ages, "Those who owned land [also] owned the possibility of building up military and political power, for on the land men could grow food, and men could be settled to serve and fight for their overlords. During these [medieval] centuries, free men... commended themselves in great numbers of their own free will to the power, service and protection of a strong lord [who owned vast amounts of land]" (Nardo 14,15). If you had land, you were worth a lot more to the people. Land meant food, peasants, and power. People with power were treated with respect because they had control over the people below them. Ownership and exploitation of land was the driving force behind feudalism (Nardo 14,15). The king controlled the feudal system, and the land. The control of this land, enabled the king to subdivide the land between the social classes. Kings gave land to the classes below him, which resulted in a domino effect. Once the king would receive the fealty of a vassal, the king was expected to pay. In most cases, the king would return the vassal with a fief, which was an estate or manor. The fief would include, a house, or a small castle. The fief would also come with peasants. Although the vassal did not own the peasants, he owned the land on which their houses were built, so they answered
Medieval societies are most commonly known for their knights, tales of chivalry, and damsels in distress; however, a huge segment missing: the system that even allowed people to become knights, and for keeping a kingdom well balanced. The feudal system allowed for people in any position on the social ladder provide for not only themselves, but for others above and below them. The manor permitted for this system to perform properly because it gave everyone an opportunity to have a stable job, and it also provided any feudal society with a steady or even prosperous economy.
"Feudalism and Religion in the Middle Ages." Feudalism and Religion in the Middle Ages. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .