Lords, Vassals, and Peasants:

Feudalism in Medieval Europe

Three Medieval Estates	The Oath of Fealty (Roland & Charlemagne)	Peasants in the Village

· What is feudalism? What cultural values and beliefs underpinned it?

· Why did it emerge as the dominant form of social and political organization in Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries?

Key Terms

1) feudalism

2) lord and vassal

3) serfs

4) fief

5) homage and fealty

6) Magna Carta

7) habeas corpus

I. Feudalism: Definitions and Origins

· Personal Relationships, Mutual Obligations, and Decentralized Authority

• Three Components:

1) Social and Economic: “Manorialism”

2) Political and Military: Lords, Vassals, & “Private” Power

3) Cultural: Hierarchy, Estate, and Identity

• The Decline of Charlemagne’s Christian Empire

• The New “Barbarian” Invasions (850-1000): Vikings, Saracens, and Magyars

• Restoring Security: The Rise of Decentralized Authority

• Lords, Peasants, and Manorialism: A Mutually Beneficial Relationship?

II. Those Who Fight: Lords and Vassals

· Personal Ties and Mutual Obligations

• Vassal: Military Service, Court Duty, Ransom, Advice

• Lord: Protection, Support, and a Fief

• Sealing the Deal: Fealty, Homage, and Ritual

• Hierarchy and Estate: Accepting One’s Social Station

• Warrior Culture, Masculine Identity: Honor, Loyalty, Courage, and Brotherly Love

III. The Legacy of Feudalism

· Obligation, Duty, Hierarchy, and Status

· Stability and the Tepid Renewal of Urban Life

• Consequences for Political Evolution in Europe
• The Magna Carta and habeas corpus (1215)