Euopean_History

Notes William the conqueror and the feudal system Soon after William the conqueror took possession of England he decided that the feudal system he was familiar worked in Normandy would also work well in his new kingdom. Norman feudal system was different from the old English in which free people lived in free villages. The feudal contract A feudal system was based on the “three f‘s “of fief (land), fealty (loyalty) and faith (religion). Under feudalism land was the basis of all wealth; land was given to the nobles, who were all knights, in exchange for loyalty. In return for these fiefs the nobles promised the king their loyalty, which meant living up to a number of obligations. Each noble would live on his land, called a manor, and, as the lord of the manor, had the right profit from it. The lord of the manor had serfs and freeholders to work the land. The serfs and freeholders forming about 90 % of the population were kept outside the circle of manor and had fewer rights. The manor Through medieval Europe large fiefs we divided into parcels of land called manors. Each manor had farming lands, woodlands, common pasture, and at least one village. Almost completely self-sufficient, the manor usually provided enough food for everyone who lived in it. Each manor also had the skilled people needed to do most jobs, from thatching a roof to fletching an arrow. The lord of the manor always kept some land on the manor for his own use and personal profit. Called the demesne, this land consisted of the gardens and orchards around the manor house and some strips of land in the manor fields. Some lord’s too personal interest in the work of their estates but most had managers called bailiffs, to look after day-to-day affairs and to keep the peace. Ordinary people The serfs and freeholders on a manor provided all the labor but had the lowest standard of living. All the serfs had to donate two or three days of work each week to ploughing, planting, weeding and harvesting the lord’s demesne. Most serfs had the right to farm a particular strip of land within the manor fields. Serfs turned over a percentage of produce they grew to the lord of the manor. Most serfs also had a small vegetable or herb garden. Many owned a few cows, horses, sheep, pigs, and some chicken or duck. Serfs and freeholders ate herring, onions, leeks, cheese, fruit, peas, and egg. They drank beer, milk of cows, sheep, and goat. Freeholders unlike serfs actually owned their land. They had to pay money to the lord but did not have to work on the lord’s demesne. Village homes The villagers built their houses from wood or wattle and daub, and roofed them with thatch. The whole family, usually about 5-6 people, shared one dirty room often with some farm animals and enough vermin to make a louse comb a common possession. Work and cooperation Men and women worked hard in the middle ages, and even young children had to do their share. The whole family helped with ploughing and harvesting. Children of serfs or freeholders did not go to school. For a women living in a medieval village, a great deal a great deal of time was taken up just keeping her family fed and clothed. She wove cloth, made clothes, brewed beer, baked bread, cooked meals, preserved food for winter and cared for the children. Grandparents were seldom available to help with child care because most people died young. Men and women alike works sunrise to sunset. On larger jobs, they usually worked with their neighbors. The manor house Compared with the typical villager, the lord and the lady of the manor lived very well. They occupied the largest and best house on the manor and were attended by a whole team of servants. Most manor houses had several rooms including a large hall where the lord would look after the affairs of the manor and entertain guests. Every room had furniture: a small table, some wooden chests, a few good chairs and maybe even a book or two – all expensive items. The privileges The nobles lived as well as they could, with the help of their many servants. Lords liked to own fine hunting falcons, beautiful horses, expensive furniture, and big houses. Both men and women hunted for recreation. The obligations Although the lord of the manor had a great deal of power over his serfs and freeholders, he was also tenant himself and had certain obligations. One of the duties of all nobles was to marry and have children. Parents usually arranged the marriages of their children, finding a partner with as much land as possible. A woman’s rights As boy and girls grew up the boys rights increased dramatically, whereas the rights of girls did not. Before marriage, a girl’s father controlled her life, after marriage, her husband did. After marriage, a women’s property came completely under her husband’s control. Medieval women who never had been married had few legal rights. Belief and devotion Medieval people lived in a world filled with religious signs and meanings. Most people attended church frequently. Almost all western Europeans were devoutly Christian. They believed absolutely that every person has to struggle between good and evil throughout their lives, and that every person would be judged after death. They learned as children that good people went to heaven and bad people suffered in hell for eternity. They believed that taking part of various ceremonies their sins-the evil had done- would be forgiven and they could avoid the agonies of hell. God’s hands in their everyday lives, bringing them success or failure, sickness or health, rain or drought. Medieval people accepted without question things that many modern people would be sceptical of – the miraculous power of a holy relic for example. The church In the middle ages the Catholic Church was the only Christian religious institution in Europe. Christians could practice their religion only through the church, so church became very influential and powerful. One of the worst things that could happen to a person was to be excommunicated from the church, for example a person could not marry or be blessed before death. The church thus had great power over the lives of everyone from serfs to monarchs. Almost every village had at least one church and priest. The church provided all the religious needs of the people. It performed marriages, burials, and witnessed agreements. For some young people inspired by a love of god, the church offered a chance to devote their lives to study and prayer. Monastic life Many men and women became monks and nuns in the medieval times men entered monasteries, women entered convents, also called nunneries. New member took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Monks and nuns woke up several times at night to pray, and rose very early in the morning. Although their lives were hard, monks and nuns did have some free time each day and some choices about what to do during this time. The law Many Canadian legal customs have been handed down to us from the middle ages. As in our own court, someone world be prosecuted or sued, witnesses would swear to tell the truth, a jury would hear the case, and a sentence would be passed by a judge. Trial by ordeal and trial by battle Trial by ordeal and trial by battle were common ways of deciding if a person was innocent or guilty in the middle ages. In trial by ordeal, a person may have to drink poison, pull an object out of boiling oil, and more harmful options. If that person would be burnt, or the ordeal became infected, the person would be accused of being guilty, because they believed that god only protected innocent people. In trial by battle, two nobles would fight often until one of them died and the winner was assumed innocent because god protected innocent people. Manor courts Manor courts, royal courts, and church courts looked after different legal matters. A person accused of any major crime would be sent to royal court. The most common court was the manor court, which settled minor disputes and punished petty criminals. Royal courts The royal court dealt with serious crimes such as murder, treason, rape, and burglary. Church courts God’s direct representative on earth was the pope, who had absolute authority over people who held office in the church or belonged to recognized religious orders. Therefore only church courts could be judge bishops, deacons, priests, clerks, minks, and nuns. Hennery II and the murder of Thomas Becket Thomas Becket was born in around 1120, the son of a prosperous London merchant. He was well educated and quickly became an agent to Theo bald, Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent him on several missions to Rome. Becket's talents were noticed by Henry II, who made him his chancellor and the two became close friends. When Theo bald died in 1161, Henry made Becket archbishop. Becket transformed himself from a pleasure-loving courtier into a serious, simply-dressed cleric. The king and his archbishop's friendship were put under strain when it became clear that Becket would now stand up for the church in its disagreements with the king. In 1164, realizing the extent of Henry's displeasure, Becket fled into exile in France, and remained in exile for several years. He returned in 1170.On the 29 December 1170, four knights, believing the king wanted Becket out of the way, confronted and murdered Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. Becket was made a saint in 1173 and his shrine in Canterbury Cathedral became an important focus for pilgrimage.