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Agenda • • • • •

Short review on feudalism (use the same notes from last class) A taste of medieval life (reading and short response) Word search-assigned Crossword puzzle- extra credit Time to work on the assignments from last class

DUE TODAY1. Notes on the Middle Ages (including the article you read last class on feudalism and the notes from today) 2. Coat of arms DUE NEXT CLASS1. Word search/crossword puzzle

Quick Vocabulary • • • •

Vassal- a man who served a lord in a military capacity Knight- a member of the heavily armored cavalry Cavalry- soldiers who fight on horseback Fief- the grant of land made to a vassal; the vassal held the political authority within his fief • Feudal contract- unwritten rules that determined the relationship between a lord and his vassal • Tournaments- contests where knights demonstrated their fighting skills • Chivalry- a code of ethics that knights were supposed to uphold

Feudalism • Feudalism was based on the exchange of land for military service. King William the Conqueror used the concept of feudalism to reward his Norman supporters for their help in the conquest of England. Life lived under the Medieval Feudal System, or Feudalism, demanded that everyone owed allegiance to the King and their immediate superior.

How does feudalism work?

Middle Ages Feudalism • The good thing about Middle Ages Feudalism was that is was possible for everyone to move higher up the ranks of the pyramid of power and this is what everyone aspired to do. Medieval Squires and Pages of the Middle Ages wanted to become knights. A Middle Ages Knight who proved valiant in battle or was successful at jousting in tournaments could become wealthy and ambitious because of Middle Ages feudalism. His wealth could pay for a manor house or even a castle. If his importance in the land increased it became possible for him to join the nobility. The most powerful nobles even aspired to be King - and the Medieval history of the Middle Ages under the feudalism pyramid describes such coups.

Impact of Feudalism • Feudalism had a dramatic effect on England and Europe during the Middle Ages. The pyramid of power which was the Feudal system ran to a strict 'pecking' order - during the Medieval period of the Middle Ages everyone knew their place. The emergence of the Medieval Feudal System of the Middle Ages affected all spheres of Medieval society: a land-based economy, the judicial system and the rights of the feudal lords under the feudal system and the lack of rights for the serfs and peasants. Next class- the decline of feudalism….

A taste of life in the Middle Ages…. • As Nielsen reads the article, “Curling Up with the Rats…Sleeping Arrangements in Medieval Castles,” write down a list of 8-10 things that would make living in the Middle Ages appealing or not appealing. TURN IN: 1. Notes from yesterday and today (stapled) 2. Coat of Arms assignment