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Chapter 9 the high middle ages
Knights and their roles in medieval society
Impact of feudalism in the middle ages
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Recommended: Chapter 9 the high middle ages
The people in the Middle Ages needed some sort of structure to follow and had come up with feudalism and manorialism which helped them live a better life. Feudalism was the way of life for people back in the Middle Ages. Manorialism was a crucial aspect of society that was created. Serfs were very important in the Middle Ages due to the fact they did all the manual labor. Feudalism and Manorialism were key parts of the civilizations and would not exist without serfs.
Feudalism was the political system in the Middle Ages that helped create order in societies. Feudalism is a system of government that helped civilizations become more powerful and stable (Levi Biel 9). In feudalism, people depended on people. Even though feudalism was unfair in
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Knights helped put the economy in a good place. Knights protect and give to the society. Once a knight swore his loyalty to the king, he had obligations to the king like supplying money or other valuables, or the vassal will perform various favors. However, it was mostly just military service (Nardo 19). The knights usually spent 40 days a year guarding the castle (Nardo 32). They protected the manor from invaders and they kept everyone safe. They supplied items to the king since they lived on the manor. In return, they received loyalty and had a very good reputation in the society. Knights were idolized (Nardo 31). People also viewed knights as honorable and heroic (Nardo 29). They were in a very good place in society. They not only got loyalty and a good reputation, they also received items from the serf like food and they got a place to live (Richardson). Vassals contributed a lot to the economy. The vassals helped enforce rules. They ruled everyone who lived on the land given to him (Levi Biel 9). They gave loyalty to the classes above them and sometimes granted military services. Vassals also got many things in return. They received fiefs. The early fiefs given to vassals were gifts like armor, weapons, or horses (Levi Biel 9). By the year 1000 a fief was usually a piece of land which the vassal would hold as long as he lived as long as he served his lord faithfully. Sizes of fiefs varied. In order to get a fief vassals agreed to an oath. In this oath the vassal promised loyalty and military service to his lord (Levi Biel 9). Other fiefs could be making a vassal mayor of a town (Nardo 20). Knights and vassals gave and received many things that impacted the manor that kept it running for so
Before knights were created, the defense on the borders was low. Europe was being invaded from the north, east, south, and west. Knights were meant to protect their king and their land. The “invasions of the Magyars from the east, Muslims from the south, and Vikings from the north struck western Europe,” which allowed knights to show their power and defeat enemies (met museum).
Others were more like slaves. They owned nothing and were pledged to their local lord. They worked long days, 6 days a week, and often barely had enough food to survive”(“Middle Ages History”). Knights were above the peasants and they were given land granted by the barons in exchange for their military services if the king needed it. They were responsible for protecting the baron who granted them land as well as the baron’s family and the manor they lived at. The knights were able to keep any amount of land they were given, and they gave out the rest to the serfs. The lord, or baron, was above the knight in the social class divide. They were given land by the king and in return they showed loyalty to the monarch. They provided the king with fully equipped knights if the king needed some to serve. If the baron “did not have an army, sometimes they would pay the king a tax instead. This tax was called shield money”(“Middle Ages History”). The king was at the top of the feudal system and held the most power and wealth. The king could not maintain control over all the land in England so he divided the land up to the barons which eventually
Knights and their role in medieval society. Knights were an integral part of medieval society. They originally began with primitive warriors such as the Mongols who fought on horseback for added speed and power, but quickly advanced to chivalrous gentleman such as the Normans. Much has been written about medieval knights, with the most famous being a series of legends about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Arthur and his knights were the ultimate example of what a perfect knight should have been.
(Doc. 1) The knights would contribute the protection for the nobles as they gave the king money and knights. (Doc. 1). Another influence on the lives of the people was the Church. “The role of the Church was very large in Medieval
During the Medieval Times, knights hold high status and are seen as sovereign, yet their actions are contradicting. Knights stand for loyalty, justice, and chivalry; however, most are liars, cheaters, and foolish. Throughout medieval literature, authors create characters that contain both attributes and utilize literary elements to highlight this medieval crisis. Many Knights maintain a loyal and noble character because chivalry outlasts hypocrisy.
Many different classes of people existed in the Middle Ages. Each class had a certain and very different way of life than the other. Peasants in the Middle Ages had extremely difficult lives. Domestic life for the peasants during the Middle Ages was endured with many hardships and sacrifices, but in the end they were just everyday citizens doing what they had to in order to survive.
“Feudalism was a political, economic, and social system in which nobles were granted the use of land that legally belonged to the king” (Doc. 1) "Social" life in the Middle Ages was the only kind of life people knew. Whether nobility, craftsperson or peasant your life was defined by your family, your community and those around you (OI). “The Church protected the Kings and Queens (OI).” “The King is above Nobles, Nobles above Knights, and the Knights are above serfs (Doc.1).” “ Nobles provides money and knights. Knights provide protection and military service (Doc. 1).” Social network, your village and your local nobility, was your family (OI).” “From the moment of its baptism a few days after birth, a child entered into a life of service to God and God’s Church (Doc.3).” “Every Person was required to live by the Church’s laws and to pay heavy taxes to support the Church (Doc.3).” “In return for this, they were shown the way to everlasting life and happiness after lives that were often short and hard (Doc. 3).” In conclusion, this is what it was like in the Middle Ages from a social
Life during the middle ages (1066-1485) was dictated by how much money you had. Were you a noble? Or were you a peasant. Your quality of life was in direct proportion to your status. Lords of the Noble class ruled territories, also known as villages. These villages mainly consisted of one room houses, with maybe a church and a blacksmith shop. Peasants or serfs lived in these villages and worked under said Lord. Daily life was all about survival. The days were spent planting and growing food, harvesting the crop, sewing clothes, and making any supplies that were needed to survive. Trading between different villages was something that was only done as a last resort. People in each village worked together to make their own village successful. Life also depended on what kind of Lord you had. If he was a fair Lord, they were treated reasonably well, and didn’t suffer. As long as the crop was good, they would have plenty to eat, and work was shared equally. If he was an unjust Lord the villagers were subject to his whims. If he demanded money or product from them they must give it, whether it would hurt their own survival or not. Likewise, if he was a Lord that liked to pick fights with neighboring Lords, the villagers would be subject to pillage and plunder by the other Lords that were trying to get back at their particular Lord. Any revenge sought out against a Lord by another Lord would mean that the people of said Lord’s village paid the price. Crops would be destroyed, houses burned and sometimes the villagers were killed. This was known as the Feudal System. The Feudal System was based on the rights of the Nobles, not the serfs. Nobles had preferred seating in the churches, and special hunting privileges. They h...
Feudalism is a system of land ownership and duties that were used in the Middle Ages. Under feudalism, all the land in a kingdom was the king's. However, the king would give some of his land to the lords or nobles who fought for him. Rulers in all society wanted to create law and order and ensure that people make good use of the society’s resources. That is why feudalism was created. Monarchs had to accept limits on their own personal power. They also needed to respond to expectations that other groups in society have a say in decision-making. People began to use medieval courts for problems that had previously been solved by trial by combat.
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
The lords and ladies of the Middle Ages were individuals who people were dependent upon. They needed some help of their own as well. Their castle’s in which they owned and lived in needed to be taken care of, so the lords and ladies hired serfs to do the work. The system is called manorialism and it is when peasants and serfs would do work in the lord’s estate or castle. The lord and lady with their families, lived in the part of the castle called the keep which had things like the great hall and the dance hall.
Feudalism was created in the 9th century to eliminate social chaos and put social classes into order. Kings would also use it to expand their land. In return they would get protection, money, crops, and court duties. It also used in war times so that the Knights were obligated to fight. They centralized government to organize power and land. Feudalism was used to give out land by the king, organize social standing and in return get military services and protection.
The serfs depended on the vassals, they depended on jobs and protection from foreign threats. The lord’s main duty was to fight for his King (overlord) , either if he was defensively or offensively (Cels 4). The lord gave wealth and support to the vassal for his military services. Sharing whatsoever treasure goods were taken in battle (C. Smith 3). The nobles income was mostly from labor but they also had military obligations.
In contrast in Germany, kings seem unable to keep a reign on their crown as well as their nobles and other officials. ("HISTORY OF FEUDALISM." HISTORY OF FEUDALISM. ) The structure seems to fall over due to the nobility’s places as second in the Feudalism structure. But in some cases the nobility actually had more money and power than the king himself. This and as well as the other problems discussed would eventually lead to taxing and ruling from a central place, slowly becoming the norm. But, although the system seems to fall apart its customs seem to be made use to other places.
...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.