FEUDAL EUROPE

FEUDAL EUROPE

2º ESO BRIT

What are we going to study?

1. What is feudalism? Origins and how it works 2. The estate-based society 3. Nobles vs peasants. How they lived 4. The fiefdom 5. The role of the church. Monastic life 6. Romanesque art: architecture, painting and sculpture

What is feudalism?

• It was a new way of structuring and governing society that appears in the 10th century in Europe.

• This system was based on relationships of mutual dependence between social groups, with rights and duties on both sides.

• There were two main relationships: vassalage and servitude.

Why did feudalism triumph?

• Because of the division of the Carolingian Empire into 2 kingdoms.
• Because of invasions of vikings, muslims and hungarians.

How feudalism works?

• The monarchs were unable to cope with this great insecurity.
• To govern and defend the territory, they delegated some of their power to the nobles, who organised private armies and became the king's vassals.
• In exchange the nobles received land, known as a fiefdom.
• Vassalage was a pact of loyalty between the monarch and nobles or between nobles of different social ranks.
• The lord and vassal took part in a ceremony composed of two parts: the act of homage and the investiture.

What is servitude?

• When peasants asked nobles for protection in exchange of their freedom.
• Nobles gave lands and protection to them and peasants gave a part of the harvest as a payment.
• They became serfs when they lost their freedom.

The estate-based society

• Feudal society was divided into estates. Each estate was a closed group with little social mobility. People belonged to a group by birth and for their lifetime.

• Society was divided into two main groups: the privileged classes (nobility and clergy) and the non-privileged classes (peasants and artisans).

• The privileged classes had all the privileges and no duties, while the non-privileged classes had all the duties and few rights.

Nobles vs peasants. How they lived

NOBLES

• The nobles were a privileged group who provided society with military protection. The income from their fiefdoms allowed them to live in castles and own horses and weapons.

• The nobles included dukes, marquesses, counts and barons.

• They used to trainning for battle, attend banquets, hunting, collecting taxes and food from their serfs, receiving their vassals, etc.

Nobles vs peasants. How they lived

PEASANTS

• The peasants worked from sunrise to sunset and most were very poor.
• The whole family participated in the farm work. The men carried out the more difficult jobs and the women helped with the harvest.
• The peasants carried out subsistence agriculture (they produced only enough food for themselves).
• To avoid depleting the soil, they practised crop rotation: the three-field system. This meant that part of the land was left unplanted (fallow).

What is the fiefdom?

• A fiefdom was the land given to a vassal by the king or a noble, who became a feudal lord, lived off rent and exercised authority over the peasants who lived there.

• It was not private property; it was entailed property. This meant that the lord could not sell the land, but he could profit from it and pass it on to his descendants.

Rights and duties in the fiefdom

• This system involved mutual obligations between the lord and his serfs.

FEUDAL LORD Duties

• To protect the population.
• To guarantee food during famines.
• To supply seeds and farming tools.

Rights

• To make rules and laws.
• To judge the peasants, pass sentences and issue fines.
• To create taxes.

Rights and duties in the fiefdom

SERF (PEASANT) Duties

• To work a few days every year in the lord's castle and demesne.
• To give the lord part of the harvest.
• To pay him to use the oven, mill, blacksmith's, press and other services.

Rights

• To cultivate and live off the land.
• To have a home for his family.

The role of the church

• In the Middle Ages, most people in Europe were Christians. Religious beliefs guided people's behaviour and community life.
• The church was the most important building in any village or city.
• Christians had to fulfil their religious duties, practise charity and lead a virtuous life.

The role of the church

HIERARCHY OF THE CHURCH Depending on their destiny and work, the clergy was divided into:

• Secular clergy: priests, pastors, bishops and cardinals, who served the faithful.
• Regular clergy: monks and nuns, who were dedicated to work and prayer.

Not all clerics enjoyed the same standard of living:

• The high clergy (cardinals, bishops, abbots) enjoyed the same privileges as nobles.
• The low clergy (rural pastors, monks) led a similar life to peasants.

Monastic life

MEDIEVAL MONASTERY

• Monasteries were inhabited by monks or nuns. They were governed by an abbot or abbess.
• The monks and nuns were subject to rules.
• To live in a monastery, nuns and monks had to carry out a period of training called the novitiate. After that, they had to take vows of obedience, poverty and chastity.
• The most important order was the Benedictines. It was founded in Italy in the 6th century by Benedict of Nursia.
• The monastic rules were focused on prayer and work (ora et labora).

Romanesque art: architecture, painting and sculpture

The Romanesque style

• When? From 11th to 12th centuries.
• Where? It was originated in France and Italy, but it was spread throughout Europe. It was the first common European style.
• Why it is called like this? Because it was influenced by the roman heritage.

Romanesque art: architecture, painting and sculpture

The Romanesque style

• Romanesque architecture consisted of churches, cathedrals and monasteries.
• Painting and sculpture were exclusively dedicated to the Church and made use for indoctrinating.

Romanesque art: architecture, painting and sculpture

Round arch

Barrel vault

Dome

Buttress

Buttress

The Romanesque architecture style. Main vocabulary

• Dome
• Barrel vault
• Buttresses
• Round arch
• Latin cross

Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor in Toro (Zamora), 12th century.

San Pedro church (Ávila), 12th century.

Romanesque art: architecture, painting and sculpture

Romanesque sculpture

• Sculpture had a religious and educational purpose in the Middle Ages (most of population could not read or write).

Romanesque art: architecture, painting and sculpture

Romanesque painting

• Paintings covered the walls and apses of churches.