Vassalage, the Carolingians, and the Church Flashcards
Explain the Lord and vassal relationship.
The ambitious man had to get the help of a mayor of a palace. You became his vassal. The Lord and vassal relationship was established. The Lord provided for the nobles, and the vassal promised to serve all his life. No Lord would accept as a vassal a man that could do him no service. And no vassal would commit himself to a man that was incapable of forwarding his interest. Vassals had their vassals.
The kings representatives were the counts, and the vassals needed protection from them. That’s why they turned to the mayors, or Lords. Vassals served their Lords more readily than their kings.
What was the difference between a king’s army and a Lord’s army?
The king had an army, but made up mostly of poor masses and foot soldiers. Vassal armies were different, they had calvary (knights). So the Lords had a lot of power. You need to think about how much is needed to have knights. Knights were as important then as tanks and jets are important now. They had speed and power. But they were expensive. Maintenance of knights was the issue, because it was the Lord’s responsibility to provide for that vassal who was a knight. A Lord could house them in his own house, or . . . give him land and have him support himself. This is the basis of the feudal system.
What was at the core of the feaudal system?
The Lord owns the land, that he leases to the vassal, who serves him (as a knight). This is how the Carolingians became powerful. They had so many vassals that they were eventually able to make themselves kings over the Franks (in 751).
Who were the Carolingians, and how did they come to power?
They were a wealthy family, from Austrasia. They overcame other mayors. They took over land, and therefore had more vassals. They bestowed lots of wealth. Their power was complete. Their governance was different. They had so many vassals that they were eventually able to make themselves kings over the Franks (in 751).
What was the difference in how the Merovingian Franks and Carolingians ruled?
The Carolingians didn’t move a step without asking their nobles. They didn’t make war without approval from nobles. They made peace with the same approval. If they wanted to make new laws, they summoned a council of the nobles. This was an essential part of how the government worked for them. In a way, they allowed nobles to have a say. The Merovingian Franks had no concept of this. They had regarded the kingdom as property. The Carolingians, on the other hand, used money and power and serving the people to defend themselves and their nobles from their enemies. They saw themselves as the chosen people of God.
What was the connection between the Carolingians and the Church?
It was a system of government that was inseparable from the church. Previously one was born a king, not made one. The anointing ceremony was more like the anointing of a bishop, and he received a power in that ceremony that he did not have before the ceremony. He wasn’t receiving a title, but an order. They were Christian kings that owed their power to the pope.
