Law and oaths were the basis of feudalism, without them the system would be a chaotic mess. The laws that governed serfs very strict and limited their freedom greatly, giving them almost no control of their life. Serfs were at the bottom of the feudal system, a serf was someone who was bound to the land he or she worked on. They had almost no control over their lives, they could not leave their land, they provided service to their lords and nobles, served in their lord's house, and paid taxes to their lord (Richardson 2). The only reason why they did this was for protection and a home in the manor. The reason why these peasants wanted shelter so badly was because diseases were everywhere and manors were few and widespread, it could take days of travel to get from one manor to the next and even then a peasant would be forced to stay in that manor. After a vassal made his feudal oath he was given a fief from his lord, it had land and peasants for him to watch over. The core of the feudal oath was a vassal, who was usually a knight, giving loyalty to his lord in return for a fief, this fief often included land, and maybe armour and weapons, or even a horse. By …show more content…
Knights were also important to the structure of feudalism because they protected peasants, they did this in return for a share of what the peasants produced. Feudalism was a system based on loyalty where the serfs worked hard and the nobles protected them, this system was used to govern all people in the Middle Ages. A knight was a member of a medieval army who wore armor and used crude but effective tactics to win battles, they charged at the enemy with swords and shields to take out enemy soldiers. Without these charming warriors the feudal system would have crumpled because of lack of protection in the lower
The word knight got this name from the Old English word cniht. The Knight’s duty were very similar to the samurai's. They were hired to protect land and the people that owned the land. They also had a code like the samurai. This code stuck them to their duties and made sure that they kept their morals. Knights controlled land and the land was managed by the peasants of the kingdom. It was the peasants who mostly fought the battles instead of the knights. The knights led the peasants into the battle they fought.
During the middle ages the lack of protection and a stable government after the Fall of Rome created the need for a new political system. Feudalism was the political system that emerged and shaped the lives of people socially and politically. Manors were small communities that were made up of a castle, church, village, and land for farming. The structured society provided a place and responsibility for everyone. The feudal obligations showed that in exchange for one thing they would be provided with something else. Serfs and peasants would work and produce goods for the rest of the manor and in return had their land and promised protection. The vassals would need to obtain land from the Lord and in return would provide the Lord with military service, loyalty, and ransom if asked for (Doc. 4). To make clear the vassal’s specific allegiance to their lord whom they owed in for exchange for their fief they would take the Homage Oath (Doc. 2). This interdependent system required everyone to do their part and it created social classes that they were born into. Their daily lives were centered on the manor and that was how it stayed until towns began to
In ancient times there was a hierarchy and as a knight, everything was done to serve the lord of the realm. To be a knight is to have honor and uphold oneself in a manner that's respectable. A knight is a representative of his kingdom and his lord, and he must conduct himself in a manner that is pleasing to his king. A knight must also seek out glory for his kingdom. So to obtain riches, land, or conquer
Before they could wield swords and fight battles they must start their training early in boyhood. First starting to care for horses and play the harp. Next they became a Paige. They learn archery skills and improve on other skills. Then a Squire who finally practice sword play and improve on horse riding. Last after being dubbed a knight by their king or queen they become a knight. They can now lead armies into battle and joust for the king, queen, lords, ladies, and rich nobles. They had many weapons including a battle ax, a lance, a crossbow, a longbow, a shield a sword and many more interesting weapons. There were also many pieces that made up their armor, but the biggest thing was chain mail. It was a brilliant invention that stopped warriors from getting stabbed but they could still feel the momentum of the blow. A few knights belonged to the king, but mostly the knights and armies belonged to the lords and ladies. Once they find out the king is out numbered by thousands they decide to rebuttal throwing the whole feudal system
Knights were usually vassals who decided to fight for higher lords in exchange for protection. They were considered to be in the nobility class. They were usually just military officers. Knights were noblemen who rode on horseback and they followed the strict military code of chivalry, the code demanded that a knight was to obey his lord, to help people, be brave, show respect to women, and honor the church. Many of the good manners today come from the code of Chivalry.
Knights were mercenaries who were hired by kings or vassals to protect or fight for them. Most often they were depicted using swords and shields however, they used other weapons as well . Knights came from many different cultures however the focus will be on the English knights for the sake of simplicity. King Arthur Likely the most well known knight may not be who he seems.
The knights were the warriors of the time period in between the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Renaissance, also known as the Middle Ages. Knights had to undergo years of training starting as a young boy. Though they were well trained, knight still needed protection. To protect themselves, knights would wear complex armor that usually took over and hour to put on, and usually needed the help of his squire. In order to fight well, they needed strong weapons. A knight’s weapons were sharp and durable.
Feudalism was a medieval government system that a King offered Citizens fiefs or units of land for military service. This discouraged a unified government. Lords would divide their land into smaller sections. Then they would give these lands to lesser people then those people would divide their land to even lesser Knights. Next is the steps to becoming a Knight
A knight in the middle ages was having possessed great combat skills and who adhered to the code of Chivalry. Any free man could become a knight but the process of becoming a knight and equipping a knight with a horse was very costly this meant that knights would generally come from a noble, or wealthy family. A potential knight had to have the right connections. The honour of being a knight eventually passed from a knight to his sons.
Also, when receiving land, the lord received power over the peasants of that village. Knights also got support, a share of the treasure and goods that were taken in battle, and a sort of insurance. This insurance was that if he died, his children were protected until the girl married and the boy became a vassal, and that the widow and the land were protected (Smith 3). Also appealing to would-be knights was the rise in status. Knights were given a fief, often land, making them a vassal, and therefore a lord (Beil 15). Knights were considered to be like the rock stars of their time as they were well off and thought as honorable, chivalrous, and wealthy (Nardo 29). Because of this they were sought after by high class ladies looking for a husband, and by troubadours who looked for the heroes of their songs (Nardo 31). Because of these advantages, the feudal oath became a political tool where it previously had been a vow of military duty (Beil 9). It was understood that if he did not uphold his promise it would all be taken back. (Beil 15). However, knights did not only gain as they also had to work or their king/lord. A common time frame expected from knights for
In the feudal system a knight was required to fight for his lord forty days a year. As a reward a knight was given a plot of land, called a fief, by his lord. Knights lived in a stone manor on their fief or in their lords castle due to the cost of castles. A knight was responsible for protecting the peasants on his fief, so most knights did things that would constantly hone their skills. Lords would stage mock duels for knights called jousts.
The gradual creation of the Feudal System was extraordinarily important to many different things that occurred and made many changes to the lives of the people. If there was no gradual creation of Feudalism, the world of Europe would be remarkably different with many changes such as there would be no knights which protected people, no serfs to give everyone food, no king to unite the people, and no nobles that would give land to their knights. This would make the life of the people of Europe decidedly
In the past, civilizations throughout history have created many different types of protection services. In medieval Europe, vassals were one of the most important members of a working military. The feudal system allowed all social classes to give and receive products and services that they need in order to survive. Feudalism in the Middle Ages helped create a strong military, which allowed knights to provide protection to their manor. Knighthood helps feudalism’s ability to meet the needs of the people in the Middle Ages.
Feudalism was a diplomatic system. This system helped the “nobles” buy land. According to the text, “Feudalism was a political, economic, and social system in which nobles were granted the use of land that legally belonged to the king. In return, the nobles agreed to give their loyalty and military services to the king.” (Document 1) Feudalism was a system that traded different items or artifacts that helped different parts of the system. In Document 1 a chart is shown that explains how the trades works. “The King would grant land to the Nobles and in return the Nobles would provide money and knights to the King.” (Document 1 Chart) Feudalism resulted in placing a high value on the importance of trade. Everyday the Nobles would acquire land and give the King back money and knights. According to Document 1, “The peasants or serfs worked the land for the knights and nobles and in return serfs received protection and
Everyone gained and got something from feudalism, even Kings. In the Medieval Ages, Kings gave land in return for what his part of the feudal system. All the land in Medieval Europe was owned by the Kings ("People of the Middle Ages"2), and the king would make laws, with ministers and parliament (Macdonald, 30). Since there was only one of him, he gave land to loyal Lords and Knights to rule land ("People of the Middle Ages"). The king would give land to Knights, who would become vassals. The king even allowed peasants to make a living off his land which would take place in for example a manor run by a Lord or vassal (Brooks 1). From the feudal system, Kings also gained many things. From the Knights turned vassals, a king would gain military services from them ("People of the Middle Ages"2).