5-23 - Last Chapter of the School Year

• The Feudal Compact
• Feudalism is a term used by historians to describe the governmental system and the relationships between landowners and warriors
• Warriors, known as knights, would pledge his allegiance to a lord, who would in turn give that knight land
• The lord would grant a fief (property) to the knight who would them become the lord's vassal (servant) this was called the "feudal compact"
• The vassal might fight for the lord when he needs it and attend his court once a month
• a lord is the owner of the land that you work for, not an actual lord that we worship, but similar
• Homage and Knighthood
• A vassal was required to pay homage to his lord, usually this meant kneeling down and taking the lord's hands in his while speaking an oath of loyalty
• Men were apprenticed to older knights before they could become a full knight themselves
• When a knight died, his fief would revert to his son, though his lord would be protector of that son if he was underage, or if it was a daughter
• The Feudalization of the Church
• Some clergy were known to fight as knights themselves
• Feudal States
• Barons were lords of large territories who usually paid homage to the king
• Often a baron's army could outnumber that of a king, which kept a check on the king's power
• The Manorial Estate
• Medieval society was divided into three "estates" : the clergy, the nobility, and the common people
• Usually the peasantry farmed  on large plantations, known as "manors" which were owned by a lord or lady of the nobility (or a member of the clergy)
• Iron plows and water powered grinding mills helped with agricultural production, but the yield was still minuscule by today's standards
• To maintain the health of the soil, the "three-field system" was used where two fields were planted and one field was left to reconstitute its fertility then they were rotated
• Villages sprung up on and around manors with small cottages for the peasants and a large manor house for the lord and lady
• Peasants and Lords
• The lord was in charge but he gave other people things to do
• The lady of the house ran household operations, oversaw servants, entertained guests and ran the manor when her husband was away
• Most peasants were serfs, meaning they were bound to the lang and to their lords for "labor service" a few days each week
• The serfs were responsible for the "internal colonization" of Europe, that is the cultivating and settling of previously uninhabited land
• Art was not given very much attention back then
• The Growth of Trade
• After 1000 many towns established across Europe
• Items like spices and silks came overland from port cities like Venice and Genoa, who received the goods from eastern capitals like Constantinople
• England and Low Countries were particularly known for their trade in wool and cloth
• Europeans exported wool, linen, horses, weaponry and slaves, to name a few
• Farm produce and animals were solid in towns and people with wealth bought their luxury items there
• Trade and Towns
• Most medieval towns were surrounded by fortified walls
• Residences also sprang up outside the walls in the suburbs
• Towns were dominated by a main church and a central marketplace
• Buildings for the craft guilds and the wealthiest families would also be in the center of the town
• Though townspeople were free, unlike serfs, they still had a hierarchy: merchants at the top, then skilled craftsmen and artisans, then unskilled laborers and apprentices
• The Guilds
• Merchants, craftsmen, and artisans,, formed their own group called guilds which regulated their trade and protected its members
• Craftsmen were classified as masters, journeymen, and apprentices 
• Once became a master after spending years learning as an apprentice, working as a paid journeyman for a number of years, a completing his "masterpiece"
• Guilds participated in religious feasts and festivals, social organizations and usually provided well for charities