When Charlemagne died in 814, Western Europe was left in chaos with no strong leaders or tribes able to provide the peace and stability necessary for civilization to advance. As a result there was no central government, no stable form of protection for people's life or property and so the people of Western Europe decided to turn to feudalism for that protection. Feudalism was a loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their land among the lower lords.
The Feudal System was introduced to England following the invasion and conquest of the country. The system had been used in France by the Normans from the time they first settled there in about 900AD. It was a simple, but effective system, where all land was owned by the King. One quarter was kept by the King as his personal property, some was given to the church and the rest was leased out under strict controls.
Nobles are lords. The Noble’s role was to battle for power. Warfare was the way of life. They trained from boyhood to become a knight.
Peasants made up most of the population. They work...
KNIGHT At age seven a son of a noble family was sent to a nobleman or lord, often who was a relative. Here he was a page and taught how to ride a horse, and his manners. At the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to a knight. As the squire to the knight he would take care of his horse, help him put the knights armor on and keep it clean. In turn he was taught how to use a bow, carve meat, and other knightly skills. The squire would have to go into battle with the knight to help him when he was wounded or unhorsed. If the squire was successful he would be knighted at the age of 21. When there wasn't a war going on knight would have to practice, practice, and practice some more. They would wrestle, fight with blunt swords, do acrobatics, and also do sports like javelin and putting which is throwing a heavy stone as far as you can.
There was a hierarchy of people with feudalism. At the top were powerful lords who split their lands amongst lesser lords. These lords were called vassals If someone was a vassal to a powerful lord, that meant they would pledge his service and loyalty to the more powerful lord. Once this pledge was completed, the powerful lord would grant an estate to the vassal. These estates were called fiefs. .
Knights associated in groups which they called orders. They vowed loyalty to the king they fought under and formed military org...
Politically, in the 1400's parts of Europe had a feudalistic government and feudal monarchies but over time Europe adapted to absolute monarchies, parliamentary monarchies, and nation-states. Economically, with feudalism declining, capitalism and mercantilism grew with the commercial revolution. In the arts, there was a change from the mostly religious art of the middle Ages to the Renaissance focus on realism, and humanistic ideas during the enlightenment revolution, also new scientific ideas during the scientific revolution. Politically, in the 1400's parts of Europe had a feudalistic government and some, feudal monarchies but over time Europe adapted to absolute monarchies, parliamentary monarchies, and nation-states. The dominant social system in Medieval Europe was feudalism, in which the nobility held land in exchange for military service, and vassals were tenants of the nobles, while the peasants were to live on their lord's land and give him labor, and a share of the produce, in exchange for military protection.
Feudalism was a political system in which the lesser served the greater in return for land. Also, the Church had a great deal with the political side of the Middle Ages. “In time of chaos The Roman Catholic Church was the single, largest unifying structure in medieval Europe” (Doc. 3). In other words, the Church influenced all there was. In 800 CE Pope Leo named King Charlemagne the “Emperor of the Romans” (OI). This is a great example of how the Church had political power.
The rise of feudalism in Europe has also been debated about by historians. A feudal society may have formed in the later Merovingian dynasty where a variety of capitularies slowly made the peasant more reliant, and subservient to his lord. Tho...
Nobility- A high class that were powerful and rich either by being born a noble or by being recognized by a monarch. The noble families were split up into two religions; Catholics and Protestants. Due to the monarch’s fear of the noble class gaining power, this class
Historically, knights were not very powerful. Although they had a model image in society, knights lived to serve their lord. A knight’s career is chosen for him, his wife is chosen for him and the land that his family lives on could be taken from him without a moment’s notice. Each of the knight's actions was for the glory and honor of the lord (not lord meaning God but lord meaning the lord of the land). Even though knights were essentially servants, they put forth great effort in their servitude through battle, guarding castles, entering tournaments, and upholding the ideals of his lord through brute force on anyone that dared oppose his master. In order to be a knight, he needed to have strength, good morals, skills and also:
“Chivalry based its rules first on the knight's duty to defend the people he had promised to defend. To run away or give up was unacceptable; knights fought to the death or until they were captured and disarmed.” (Knights) These knights because of their bold and courageous acts were valued by everyone in the kingdom including, monks, woman, children, and the very old and sick who were unable to fight. “Chivalry also required a knight to be loyal to his lord and to his fellow knights.” (Knights) Explaining the duties of knights and how they helped out their fellow people and the town also how fearless and brave they were thus making us believe that all knights back then where honorable, compassionate, brave men. Knights were also extremely valued because they risked their lives for the people and their king. "Although knights were trained horsemen, they did not always go into battle as cavalrymen. On many occasions it was thought better for a large part of an army to dismount and form a solid body, often supported by archers and groups of cavalry." (“Into Battle”) Like our army and troops now, knights did not always fight ...
The feudal system was one that arose in England after the invasion and conquest of William I. It has been said that this was the perfect political system for this time period. Life was really hard back in the Middle Ages and safety and defense were really hard to come by after the empire fell. There were no laws to protect the poor, so they turned to their lords to keep them safe. The king was in complete control of the system and he owned all the land. One quarter was kept as private property and the rest was given to the church or leased
Knights were warriors who fought when told to, they were loyal, they were part of nobility, and they were very respected. Becoming a knight was not any easy task by any means. Knights were expected to be chivalrous and strong, they were expected to perform well no matter the situation, and always able to tame the violent side and have a soft natured side that goes in hand with being chivalrous.(knight)
Knights were part of the nobility of the Middle Ages. Nobles lived much more comfortably than peasants, but their lives were not glamorous. Some knights inherited or were given castles which had been built for security but not for comfort.
After Charlemagne's death, the Carolingian Empire was divided in three parts by the Treaty of Verdun in 834. This division weakened the Empire, many battles took place and it allowed the Viking's invasions from the north. It was around that time that the hereditary character of feudalism and the power of the fiefs, in...
Although scholars dispute its roots, Feudalism was mostly seen in Frankish lands around the 9th and 10th century. ("Feudalism: History of Feudalism in Europe." Infoplease.) The system was first introduced as a means of protection for the king. However, as time grew the opportunity to use it as means of exchange for services between the king and vassal was found. Instead of just forcing people into the king’s army the idea of giving fiefs to those who would pledge their life to service the king was decided on. Likewise, vassal, or the knights saw the advantages they had that could be used to their advantage.
...ons to becoming a knight was rather harsh, because (Gies, The Knight in History) during times of wars they were going to be stressed. As a result they received extra training to survive high as well as low temperatures. Sometimes they wouldn’t be fed because they didn’t fulfill their task, and other times it was for training.” To be a more successful knight, the knight now served his liege lord; they work more offer military service up to forty days in a year in peace time, however if they are needed in times of war when different manors go to war then they can be called in to work those days as well. Military duties included castle guard, serving in the lord's "bodyguard", and participating in battle if needed. Thus to be a successful knight they must follow these steps described in this text and follow up by continuing to follow the code of chivalry until death.