What+is+Feudalism?++What+is+a+Hierarchy?

====[|More Info][|Video on Hierarchy] [|Youtube Video On Feudalism] ==== During the middle ages, European society was organized in a system called feudalism. Feudalism was hierarchy. In a hierarchy people were ranked on above another according to their importance. People were born on a level of feudal of society and were expected to stay like that forever. Feudalism was based on some of the land, the loyalty and the duty. Nobles or knights swore oaths of allegiance, which is loyalty to the king. They told him that they would fight if he gave them pieces of land called manor or fiefs.

The king was in complete control of the system. He owned all the land and decided who got land and who didn’t. The only way they could get land is if they took an oath to the king promising to be loyal to him forever. The men who got and from the king were know as barons, they were rich and powerful and had control over the land they got from the king.[|Youtube Video on Feudalism #2]

The way the system worked was the King came first, next came the Barons and the Abbots and Bishops, the knights were the next ones and then the Commoners such as farmers and peasants.

A Vassal held his own land as a grant from the king. When a Vassal died, the person who took over the land would have to repeat the oath to keep the land. The oath was called Homage.

For the Food situation: At the kings table there was always a full variety of food as the peasants’ food was very limited. What the king did usually did eat was meats, fish, pastries many vegetables, fruits and fresh bread. The king usually drank wine or ale, never water. The peasants usually only ate porridge, cheese, black bread and vegetables they grew themselves.

Villages in this society usually had 10 -16 families living in one mud made house and often half of that was given to livestock, while the king had a huge home for only one family. Feudalism worked fast and spread fast as it went spreading all over Europe. Europe soon took it's toll on using this everywhere and everyone was judged on this system.

Information by Taylor M, Ashley Cannon, Jamie, and Rebecca T. __

A knight is someone that is trained in weapons, horsemanship and chivalry. Knights usually have a safe birth. The armor they would wear would take a while to be made. The Armor has to fit the knight perfectly, or else they would surely die in battle. The horse was very valuable to a knight. They have different horses for different jobs. The most expensive and important horse is the Courser. The more common warhorses are the Destriers. A horseman is equal to ten knights on foot. This would change the view of feudalism. A successful knight could be come higher in wealth and his knight position no matter his background.

Knights are often awarded with land due to how good they do in battle. They would perform a Commendation Ceremony to gain a bond between the knight and the king. The knight would have to swear by the allegiance to his lord (Oath of fealty). Fealty is an allegiance to the lord or leader. Fealty was one of the key concepts of the feudalism.

If a knight were to be awarded land for a successful battle, they make a promise to their military services. They called this the feudal Levy. The Feudal Levy would raise knights, or they were “Called to Arms”. This happens when a war is interrupting the area or village. Knights would have to fight for 40 days; but under some circumstances it could be changed to 90. Knights were expected to provide trained knights with clothes and weapons to fight for the king. They had a limited time for the Feudal Levy to assure that the land was cared for.

Even though in many fairy tales and stories, the night is only barely above the peasants in the feudalism Pyramid. But it is still possible for the knight’s to move up the Pyramid. They could be very successful in battles to gain land and become wealthy. From this they can become a baron. Some of the most successful baron’s may even become king.

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Information gathered by Joel, Hailey and Noah.

Peasants Life as a peasant in the middle ages was extremely hard and challenging. Ninety percent of the people in the middle ages were considered as peasants. There was a division of free and untenured servants; the free peasants worked in their own “business” like carpenters, black smiths, weavers etc. They paid the lord for their plots of land where as the unfree peasants did not pay for their land but worked for the lord to earn their stay. Most peasants lived in peasant villages; these villages were ruled by a lord or noble. The villages had between 10 to 60 families living in them, every family lived in a small hut, the huts were usually made or straw or wood. The peasants wore animal skins or they would spin or wave their own clothing. The feudal peasants ate only what they made/grew because they couldn’t afford anything else, they also had bread at every meal, so they had t grow their wheat and take it to their lords mill. They had to pay the lord to use his mill but they didn’t pay with money they would pay with live stock such as chickens, pigs etc. as a feudal peasant they had very important jobs the men would fight in battle or war, this was the only thing that a woman didn’t do, the women had to work their field and the lords, they had to cut fire wood for heat and also to make their food on, Peasants were expected to repair damaged buildings, all they building were made of stone so they could easily be taken apart or broken. So generally the peasants had a very hard life. By: Hailey, Joel and Noah

Kings The king controlled the feudal system, and he would choose what baron he would lease his land to, but before he did the barons had to swear an oath to the king so they did not betray him. The king later in 1100 made a tax called scutage which was money he used to hire soldiers. The King gives some land to the barons of his choice and then the barons in return give the king money as rent and knights for defense. The kings were chosen from their beliefs of divine right (god chooses them and the king passes down the right to the next generation a.k.a. The kids). The barons also pay a small tax called shield money for the upkeep of a regular army. By Noah, Joel and Hailey

====**//The King was the leader of the Feudal System and he controlled everything that was happening or going to happen. He owned everything in the land and so he would give land and equipment to those who would respect him and serve him. People that wanted land for there family would have to take an oath. Barons were very rich and wealthy and the king would give land to them so they could give land to knights.//**====

====**//Barons leased the land to give to knights that served him well and they were called Manors. They made their own justice and they made there own money to buy more land from the king. The Barons had to give the king knights to protect him and he would have to pay rent and others dues. Barons would also collect stuff around the country to present the king with. They kept all the land they wanted for farming and other things.//**====

====**//Peasants were the people that had to work every day so they could live. If they did really good work for the king they would be awarded some land for them to farm and live on with their family.//**====