Global 8.2 Feudalism and the Manor Economy


 * Vassals (lesser lords) pledged loyalty to a greater lord in order to get a fief, or an estate, a piece of land and peasants that were to work and farm the land for him. Nobles trained from boyhood to become knights (mounted warriors).
 * 3 Things that are important to Feudalism
 * Land
 * Loyalty
 * (Lots of) Food
 * Knights followed a code of conduct called chivalry which called for them to be brave, loyal, honest, generous, and to fight fairly.
 * The strict rules of chivalry did not apply to peasants. However, they did change the way that women were viewed. Knights were to protect and cherish women above all else. This chivalrous view of women impacted more than just the warrior class. Troubadours, or wandering poets, adopted this view of women and wrote many love songs praising women.
 * The center of the medieval economy was the manor (lords and estate). Many manors included one or two villages and the surrounding lands. Serfs were peasants who were bound to the land and worked for the lord in exchange for the right to farm and protection. Serfs lived hard lives where they worked constantly and often did not travel outside of a few miles beyond their homes.