Feudalism was a political and military system that developed in Europe following the fall of the Roman Empire, where nobles pledged loyalty and military service to kings or lords in exchange for land. Under the manorial system, peasants (serfs) lived on estates owned by lords and were bound to provide labor and goods. Serfs had to work 3 days a week for the lord and lived a difficult life with few rights, while lords lived in castles and knights upheld a code of chivalry. Both systems relied on the exchange of land and services and determined social hierarchies.

1. FEUDALISM &
MANORIALISM
Prepared by:
Bayan, Jameson G.
Murao, Kieth C.
BSED-Social Studies 3

2. Feudalism
The system of relationships that grew out
of granting of fiefs (land), a unit of
land to control in exchange for a military
service.
A political system developed in
which there was no strong central ruler or
government.
Feudal society – an age in which
lords, not kings, held political power

3.  In exchange for military
assistance and other
services, one lord
granted land to another
noble.
 The noble who received
the land was called
vassal.
 The lord-vassal
relationship was
cemented by a solemn
ceremony in which the
vassal pledged loyalty
to the lord.

4. Feudal Pyramid of Power

7. Feudal Ties
o Relationship of the lord to the
vassal (Duties)
a.Protection/security
b.A grant of land
* Peasants who lived on the
fief were included in the
lord’s grant.

8. o Relationship of the vassal
to the lord (Duties)
 Aid the lord in war.
 Supposed to raise ransom money if the
lord was captured by an enemy.
 Provide lodgings when the lord
travelled through their territory.
 Give gift when the lord’s son was
knighted and when his eldest daughter
married.
 Each vassal sit in the lord’s court and
help to judge cases involving disputes
between the lord and other vassals

9. o Relationships between lords and
vassals were complex.
a.The same noble might
be a vassal to several
lords.
b.A vassal might grant
land to other nobles.
e.g. William of
Normady, a holder
of a fief from the
king of France
a.Sometimes, there was a
clash between two
lords to whom a vassal
had sworn loyalty.

10. Lords as Warriors
 Through combat, lords
protected their lands,
enlarged their estates and
added to their wealth.
 A young noble was trained
to be a knight – to wear
an armor, ride a war-horse
and fight with sword and
lance.
 Knights yearned for glory
and the respect of their
fellow nobles.
- They wanted minstrels to
sing of their heroic deeds
and ladies to admire their
bravery.
 Knights took part in mock
combat (tournament).

11. Chivalry
 Code of behavior; reflect
Christian ideals
 Expected to fight bravely
 To be loyal to his lord
 To treat other knights
with respect and courtesy
 Expected to protect women,
children, and the weak
 To defend the just and
right
 To be a Christian
gentleman who honors
Church laws and to defend
the Church against its
enemies.

12. Castles
 Served both as home and fortresses
 Where feudal life centers
What’s inside?
 Bedrooms,
kitchen, store
rooms, chapel and a
great hall
Who’s inside?
 Lord and lady,
member of their
family, knights and
others

13.  First castles were built
in the 9th century – made
of timber and earth
 Lord’s castle stood high
on a rocky hill or by the
bend of a river,
encircled by massive
walls and strong guard
towers
 No buildings near it.
 Tress and bushes were cut
down so that look outs
could easily see an
approaching enemy.
 Moat – a wide ditch
filled with water.

14. Duties of the Lady/Noble Women
 Supervised the
household.
 Prepare food.
 Keep a garden where
she grow herbs to use
in cooking and for
medicine.
 Teach young girls how
to sew, spin and
weave.
 Cure the sick and the
wounded.
 Take charge on the
castle.

15. Duties of the Lady/Noble Women
 Make financial
decisions.
 Raise ransom to
buy for lord’s
release.
 Put on armor and
go to war.
 Have some
political power.
e.g. Matilde of
England, daugther
of King Henry I.

16. Manorialism/Seignorialism
An economic system by which the
peasants (serfs) were rendered depending
on their land and on their lord

17. Manor
Basic unit; a
self sufficient
landed estate or
fief that was
under the
control of a
lord who enjoyed
a variety of
rights over it
and the peasants
attached to it
by means of
serfdom.

18. Surrounding the village were fields
(pasture land and forests).
The manor was largely self-sufficient;
able to produce almost everything it
needed.
Each lord owned at least one manor; great
lords owned many.
15-30 families
What’s inside?
 Serf’s cottage
 Church
 Lord’s
castle/manor house
 Workshops

19. Medieval Farmers
Used compost and
manure to enrich
the soil
Used a two/three-
field system

20. Rights and Duties of the Serfs
1.Farm the land set aside for
the lord and turn over all
its crops to him.
2.Bake their bread in the
lord’s oven, grind their
wheat in the lord’s mill,
and press their grapes in
his winepress.
3.Dig ditches, gather
firewood, build fences and
repair roads and buildings.
4.Women make clothing for the
lord’s family.

21. 5. Works about 3 days a week for the
lord.
6. Can’t leave the manor without the
lord’s permission and the lord could
even decide when a serf would marry.
7. Serf’s children could not be taken
from them and sold

22. Life of Serf/SERFDOM
Live in crowded
one or two-room
cottages.
Serfs eat a
simple diet –
vegetables,
coarse brown
bread, grain,
cheese and soup.
Serfs are
forbidden to hunt
wild animals in
the forests.

23.  The life of a serf was hard and tiring.
- Men and women worked in the fields from sunrise to
sunset.
 The serf’s way of life was passed on to their
children that they, too, were born into a life of
serfdom.

24.  Have some simple pleasures – watching travelling
minstrels and entertainers, wrestling and football.
 On holidays, serfs gather in front of the village
church to sing and dance.

25. Peasants knew almost nothing of the outside
world since they lived, worked and died on
the lord’s estate and buried in the village
churchyard.
Most serf accept their position in life.
They believed that God determined a
person’s place in society and that some
people were meant to be nobles and others.

26. Similarities
Both systems co-existed.
They were a response to the breakdown
in central authority.
Both systems do share a common factor
– the exchange of land in return for
services.
Both a landholding system.
Both determined the social status of
an individual that eventually became
hereditary.

27. Differences
 King and his
nobles
Feudalism
Relationship
type
Manorialism
 Noble and his
peasants
 Political &
Military
System/Concept Economic and
Social

28. Differences
 King gave
out land to
his nobles,
providing
them with an
income.
Feudalism
Process/Work
Manorialism
 A noble
controlled all
the land and
gave it out to
tenants.