The Feudal System Flashcards
1
Q
Name the order of the feudal system (5)
A
- King
- Tenants-in-chief
- Under tenants
- Free men
- Peasants
2
Q
Describe the King (2)
A
- Owned all land in England but granted most of it to tenants in chief
- His duty was to detect people from invasion and enforce laws
3
Q
Describe the tenants in chief (6)
A
- Vassals of the King
- Most were noble and clergy such as bishops
- In return for fief they paid homage and provided knight service to the King
- Most powerful nobles were barons
- Barons advised the King and helped govern England
- They granted some of their land to under tenants
4
Q
Describe the under tenants (5)
A
- Vassals to tenant in chief
- Most were knights and lesser clergy
- In return for lad they paid homage to lord and provided knight service
- Granted some land to peasants
- Most knights were lords of a manor
5
Q
Describe free men (4)
A
- Could travel and work wherever they wanted
- Included merchants, craftsmen and farmers
- They had to obey and pay rent to their lord
- Sometimes worked on their lord’s land but were paid for this
6
Q
Describe Peasants (3)
A
- Unfree peasants provided labour service to their lord in return for his protection, shelter and small strip of land to provide food for their families
- Lords could buy and sell them but couldn’t leave without permission
- Few peasants were free (not bound to the land) but most didn’t leave the local lord
7
Q
Describe landholding (4)
A
- King kept 20% of land in England for himself
- His land was known as demesne
- The rest of the land was run by barons, noble and knights
- Remaining land controlled by the Church making it very wealthy
8
Q
Fief of feud
A
Land held by a vassal in return for service to a lord
9
Q
Tenant-in-chief
A
Someone who held their fiefs directly from the King
10
Q
Under-tenant
A
Someone who held their fiefs from a tenant in chief
11
Q
Vassal
A
Someone who held land from someone else in the feudal system
12
Q
Describe paying homage (4)
A
- All landholders paid homage to lord by swearing an oath of loyalty
- Oath was sworn in a public ceremony
- once sworn landholder became the vassal of his lord and had to provide service to him
- If a vassal broke his oath he could be punished by forfeiture or even death
13
Q
Describe forfeiture (3)
A
- Land become forfeit and the lord would take it away
- Land could then be granted to someone else for their loyalty
- It helped maintain feudal hierarchy and the King’s power
14
Q
Describe knight service (3)
A
- Ensured King had an army to protect his kingdom
- Amount of land held by tenant in chief determined how many knights he owed the King
- Barons allowed to pay scutage to the King instead of providing knights
15
Q
Describe labour service (2)
A
- Work unfree peasants expected to do on their lord’s land
2. Helped ensure enough food and other essential items was produced to provide for everyone in the country
16
Q
Duties of knight service (3)
A
- Serving in the King’s army for 2 months per year
- Raising money to pay the ransom of their lord if he was captured during battle
- Guarding castles of their lord or the King for up to 40 days per year
17
Q
Duties of labour service (2)
A
- ‘Boon-work’ - working on the lord’s land gathering in the harvest
- ‘Week-work’ - working on the lord’s land on certain days every week, doing jobs such as looking after animals, sowing crops and ploughing land
18
Q
Importance of religion (3)
A
- Most believed God would decide whether they went to heaven or hell
- The Church told people how to please God
- The Pope was God’s representative on Earth
19
Q
Influence of the Church (4)
A
- Spiritual - clergy taught people to live according to the Church and performed daily services including mass and baptisms
- Economic - Church was wealthy as everyone paid a tithe (tenth of their produce) to the Church each year
- Political - King was under the authority of the Pope who could influence the King’s policies and actions
- Social - Priest’s and monks taught people to read and write and monasteries looked after the elderly and the sick
