Later Middle Ages or Feudal Age

 The second half of the Middle Ages came after the death of Charlemagne (800-
1453).
 Charlemagne also known as “Charles the Great” is among the best-known and
most influential figures of the Early Middle Ages for his military successes which
united most of Western Europe.
 Later Middle Ages was divided into two periods – The Feudal Age of Knights and
Crusades from the 9th to 13th centuries, and the growth of urban towns and guilds
from the 12th-15th centuries.
 During these centuries, Europe was again in chaos because of the weakness of the
king, the Viking raids, and the Muslim threat. The European continent was ruled by
nobles who ruled like small kings in their castles and lands.

I. Meaning of Feudalism
 Describes the socio-economic system in Medieval Europe. The basis of this system
was land. It was then the practice of the kings and nobles to reward their faithful
followers with land grants.
 A land grant which included its inhabitants was called a “fief”, from the Latin
feudum; hence, the term “feudalism”.
 Feudal society is a Military hierarchy in which the lords give the vassal a fief in
exchange of loyalty and service.

II. Rise of Feudalism

 In the early 9th century, control of Europe was largely under the rule of one man,
who is known as Charlemagne or Charles the great.
 After the death of Charlemagne, the unity of Europe was shattered. Also, because of
the absence of any effective central government, and the threat of both war and
famine contributed to the general awareness of the need for security and protection.
 Feudalism highlighted the fact that only those men who could guarantee immediate
protection and security from a war, invasion, and famine were the true lords. In
other words, feudal age was dominated by warriors.
 Feudalism flourished between the 10th and 13th centuries in Western Europe. This
was the era were the nobles become more powerful than the kings.

III. Feudal State

 The king parcelled out his kingdom and gave land (fiefs) to his nobles. Each noble
further subdivided his fief and gave parts to his knights.
 The serfs and artisans who lived in the knight’s fief were vassals of the knight. The
knight, in turn, was a vassal of a noble who gave him the fief. The noble was a
vassal of the king; and the king was a vassal of the emperor, his overlord.
  Each feudal lord (whether he was a king, a noble, or a knight) was a sovereign or
ruler in his own fief or domain. He collected taxes from his vassals, dispensed
justice, exacted obedience and loyalty, and received gifts and services. When he
went out to war his vassals accompanied him as fighting men.

IV. Lord and Vassal

 The lord was the one who give fief to the vassals, and the vassals are the one who
receive the fief. The duty of the lord was to protect the vassal, and the vassal was
duty-bound to serve the lord.
 The Vassal was usually a knight or a baron but could also be a member of the
clergy or a trusted member of the nobility.
 The whole practice of vassalage involved fealty to the lord. To swear fealty means
refraining from doing any action that might threaten the well-being of the lord and to
perform personal services for him at his request. After fealty was sworn the lord
provided for the vassal by bestowing upon him a benefice or fief.
 The greatest service rendered by a vassal to his lord was on the military front. Aside
from this, the vassal contributed money to ransom his lord whenever the latter fell
into the enemy’s hands. Also, gives money for the dowry of the lord’s daughter when
she married and for the knighting of the lord’s son.
 In return for the vassal’s services and loyalty, the lord protects him from enemies
and also bestowing upon him fief.
 “No land without a lord, no lord without a land.” Those who served a lord got his
protection and gave him loyalty. In theory everyone was a vassal of someone else.
The lord was the tenant of the kings, the kings were the vassal of the emperors, and
even the emperor, an absolute ruler was the vassal of the God.
 The ceremony of becoming a vassal was a solemn one. A vow such as this was
made by the vassal to his lord:

“I will love what thou lovest.

I will hate what thou hatest.

As long as I live, I am bound to serve you and respect you.

Thy friend will be my friends,

Thy enemies my enemies.

 Homage is the ceremony when the lord gives the vassal his land in return for which
the vassal solemnly swears to be loyal the lord.

V. Chivalry and Knighthood

 Since feudal Europe had frequent wars, a class of highborn soldiers who received
intensive training for knighthood emerged. These were the knights.

A) Stages to become a Knight

 1. Page

A boy started his training at the age of seven. He learned horsemanship, care of
arms and armor, and such virtues such as humility and courtesy.

2. Squire

At the age of fourteen or fifteen he became a squire. This was the second step
toward a knight. He learned to fight on horseback and also had to serve a knight
for some years, accompanying him in battle.

3. Knight

At the age of twenty or twenty-one, the squire reached the final phase of his
training and he was ready to be knighted. he would kneel before his lord in public
and solemnly pledge to be loyal to him, to fight for justice and truth, to defend the
church, and to protect women and the oppressed. Then, the lord would tap him
lightly on the shoulder with a sword and proclaim him as a knight.

B) Knight’s Armor

The knights armor provided essential body protection from the various weapons.
Additionally, the attire of a knight reflected his military occupation.

C) Chivalry
 The code of honorable and gallant behavior that the knight followed was known as
chivalry.
 The knight pledge themselves to a set of ideals such as dedication to service,
loyalty, courage, integrity in both words and deeds, courtesy, generosity, and aid to
those in need and in distress. Failure to live up with these ideals would put a knight I
disgrace.
 An important aspect of chivalry was the knights’ protectiveness and gallantry toward
the ladies.

VI. Feudal System

A) Life and Amusement

 Feudal life was dull, dirty, cold, and short. They do not have baths, toilets, running
water, or spoons and forks. Medieval folks had a phobia for taking a bath. Because
of lack of hygiene, too much drinking and fighting, medieval folks died young at
around 30 years old. Thus, medieval life was short, nasty and brutish.
 During feudal times, three leading favorites amusements were feasting, fighting, and
hunting. Several times a year, the vast of the hall of the manor or castle resounded
to the laughter of knights, who feasted to their hearts content. And they usually ate
and drank too much, leading to much noise and some quarrels. To entertain them a
 band of musicians or singers called minstrels were hired or a courter jester, a
medieval comedian, cracked spicy jokes.
 Fighting in real combat or in a friendly tournament was another amusement of the
feudal lords and knights. When there was no war, the lord arranged a tournament to
test the skill and courage of his knight. Sometimes the tournament could be a real
combat, fought by a knight to vindicate his honor or prove himself innocent of a
crime for which he had been accused.
 Aside from these is they loved hunting. They hunted boars and stags with horses
and hunting dogs. They also trained falcons to hunt rabbits, pigeons and other birds.

B) Manor and Serf

 Feudalism gave rise to the “manorial system” is the relationship of serfs to these
manors and their lords.
 The word “manor” refers to the lord’s castle and the lands around it. The lands were
tilled by peasants called “serfs".
 Manor is a small unit of land that could be owned by the monarch, aristocrats or the
church, and the very rich. The majority of manors were like small villages as they
created self-contained and independent communities.
 The lowliest level of the medieval classes was the serfs or the peasants. Almost
90% of the population of Medieval Europe was serfs. Serfs were regular village
people that worked the land of the manor.
 In return for protection and a place to live serfs were required to farm the land and
perform other jobs that were requested by the lord. Actually, serfs could be likened
to slaves, they were forced to work and could not leave without the permission of the
lord. However, unlike slaves, serf could not be bought, sold or traded.

C) Role of Church
 The church was influential in feudal life in some ways. In every baron’s castle, there
was a chapel. The priest or monk was always welcomed at the lord’s court and even
the king’s court. The priest serves as a father confessor to monarch, lord, knight,
squire, and peasant. Also, even tutored the squire not only the religious matters but
also the ethic and social graces to make him a gentleman.
 Softened the cruelties of feudalism. To discourage constant warfare among the
feudal barons, the church established the Truce of God, which prohibited fighting
during Christmas, Sundays, and holidays. And also decreed the Peace of God,
which forbade the attacks, on the clergy, merchants, peasants, and holy places.
 Finally, gave refugees from tyranny and victims of injustice the right of sanctuary. A
man could flee into a church, and no knights, lords, or king could arrest or harm him
there.

VII. Decline and Effects of Feudalism

 A) Decline of Feudalism

Toward the end of the Middle Ages, feudalism decline in Europe. The causes of its
decline were the following:

1. The rise of the national states – France, England, Spain, etc. were in these
national monarchies assumed supreme power. They had a national army
which were able to defeat any feudal baron.
2. The crusades because many of the feudal lords died in Palestine and those
who have return lost their properties.
3. The growth of the towns hastened the decline of feudalism. They prosper
because of the development of trade and industry while the feudal lords
became poorer, for they squandered their fortunes in wars and luxurious
living. Eventually, the towns won their independence and organized
themselves into little republics.
4. The introduction of fire-arms and cannons made feudal fighting obsolete. This
is the creation of bullets and cannon ballas, and no knights armor or their
weapons could match to these.

B) Effects of Feudalism

Bad Effects

1. It created a haughty social class – the feudal aristocracy – which oppressed the
people for several centuries.
2. It delayed the formation of national states because the countries of Europe were
divided by the feudal lords.

Good Effects

1. It gives protection to the different people of Christendom after collapse of the

Carolingian Empire.
2. It stimulated the growth of chivalric literature.
3. It fostered the spirit of self-reliance and personal independence.
4. It promoted the noble sentiments of man such as honor, gallantry to women,
protection of the weak, respect for the aged, and devotion to God.