Medieval Europe

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Medieval Europe
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• The years between 500 and 1500 AD are called the
  Middle Ages.
• Creating order because of Viking attacks,
  Feudalism was constructed

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This was a verycomplicated system
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• 4 parts
• (Church)King - People at the top had power
• Nobles
• Knights
• Peasants

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• Feudalism is a system of government based on
  land ownership.

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• LAND POWER, land was held in return for
  military or other services

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• A noble or a lord could give a share of land to
  some one who promised to be loyal, obey laws, and
  fight for him. This man is known as a vassal.

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• The lords duty is to protect vassals and land.
  Vassals are important because they give advice.

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Economy

• a lord might rule over a manor (a large estate
  that includes a village and farmland)

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• They needed to be self sufficient- be able to
  supply its own needs food, water, clothes,
  shelter b/c they were miles from town

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• Many peasants were farm laborers
• Also have- carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemaker
• In return they/one would get a strip of land

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• In many cases, peasants were serfs,(slaves that
  belonged to the land

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• Serfs could save to buy land and become free,
  escape to the city and live there for one year
  and one day to become free

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The Church

• The church was so powerful because life was very
  harsh. They were comforted by the rewards of
  heaven after death.

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• Church is like our govt. today- they taxed, made
  laws, and had a court system
• It took (church) land from the people in exchange
  for services.

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• Men were monks and Women were nuns.
• The church tried to find better ways to grow
  plants/crops

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• They were advisors to kings and queens
• They acted as peace keepers between feudal lords
• If a lord (or anyone) rebelled, the church could
  excommunicate you (prevent you from taking part
  in church life)

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• Whoever controlled lay investiture had a lot of
  power (Kings and nobles could appoint bishops)
• The church resented this

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• the church could use interdict - No sacrament
  could be performed throughout your land

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Towns Grow

• As the population grew manors became very
  crowded.
• Lords allowed the serfs to buy their freedom and
  they in turn set up communities outside the manor
  which soon became towns

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• Many saw their lives improve
• Now people were making enough to pay for more
  than their basic needs.

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• The middle class was born and it included
  merchants, traders and crafts people. They no
  longer had to rely on the land to make a living.

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• As Law and Order increased in Europe, so did the
  use of waterways for trade and exploration.
  Merchants and Traders now started to trade with
  Africa and Asia.

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• By the 1400s some towns had as many as 10,000
  people and became different from manor life
  because they werent self-sufficient. Instead
  life was based on the exchange of money.

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The Growth of Guilds

• Many started to form guilds (included all people
  who practiced a certain trade)

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• This protected the middle class. Guilds could
  make rules, set prices (prevented outside
  competition), set standards for quality of goods.

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Masters- controlled guilds Apprentice- unpaid
worker being trained in a craft Women were active
in guilds also
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• Boys 8-14 worked and lived with a guild master.
  He then became a journeyman.
• Journeymen- traveled from town to town to
  practice- then you became part of a guild