The Major Social System Of Medieval Europe

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.

Knights are one of the most mistaken figures of the medieval era due to fairytales and over exaggerated fiction novels. When medieval knights roamed the earth, it was known that they were only human and, like humans, had faults. These knights did not always live up to the standards designated by society. However, in The Canterbury Tales, the knight is revealed as a character that would now be considered a knight in shining armor, a perfect role model in how he acts and what he does. Modern day people see them as chivalrous figures instead of their actual role as mounted cavalry soldiers. As time passes, the idea of what a knight is changes from a simple cavalry soldier to a specific type of behavior.

At first knights and soldiers in the armies were of little social status. “Many knights in fact possessed little more than peasants” (Spielvogel 244). War was looked as kind of a barbaric act in the beginning and many knights could be found fighting each other. While some of this was tolerated, as they were seen as “defenders of society”, the Catholic Church decided that there should be some ground rules. At the start of the eleventh century, the church urged knights to take an oath to protect churches, and to not harm noncombatants. These rules allowed for battles to follow a civil path and to be carried out in a noble way.

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

Manors were self-sufficient landholdings that included the manor house, outbuildings, peasant village, and surrounding land. Serfs lived in manors and were completely controlled by the nobles of the manor. Serfs worked crops, tilled fields, and did other requests of the nobles. Serfs stayed at the manors because they provided political and physical protection; the serfs were loyal to the lord of the manor, unlike earlier, people were loyal to the king. The decline of Roman culture led to the rise of Germanic customs. The warfare also led to knights being the central figure of the military and the development of new military technology; there was more iron production to create knight’s armor. There had never been knights before, only Roman soldiers or the Hoplites of ancient Greece. Another system that developed at this time was feudalism. Feudalism was land awarded for military service; kings and lords gave land (a fief) to supporters in return for sworn military support. In Rome, citizens needed to own land in order to join the military, however, they were not given land for military service. Another change in this period was monasticism, monasticism was a new religious trend at this

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 essential for providing security and a sense of safety during the Middle Ages. Knights took a rigorous training process to learn every aspect of warfare and to acquire skills needed for knighthood. After training was complete, knights would have to abide by the Code of Chivalry, which was studied during their training. An ordinary knight’s life involved forty days of service in wars to their lord, and the activities which occupied a knight’s free time . Although knights were elite warriors and honorable men, as Europe crawled out of the Middle Ages, their services were no longer needed.

Ideas that have been taught in many societies since the first civilizations of Mesopotamia to the world now are duty, loyalty and bravery. No period relied on these ideas more than the Middle Ages time of Europe. The European societies were based on the nature of feudalism. Feudalism worked if everyone in the society did their duty and gave loyalty to everyone above the on the social latter. The knight was the backbone of the feudal society. He was the protector of the heavenly Lord, their lady and the earthly lord. The roles and duties of the knight are quotes as, “the most noble knight under Christ, And the loveliest lades that lived on earth ever, and he the comeliest king, that the court holds.” (P. 26) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight gives a perspective to view life from the courtly aspect of the European feudal

The high medieval society of Europe was organized into three main social groups: the clergy, nobles, and peasants, but there was still a group consisting of townspeople and Jews that were excluded from society. Higher-ups, being the nobles and clergy, believed that ultimate societal leadership belonged to the “prayers” and “fighters” and that they were superior to the “workers”. Each social group had their own special role in European high medieval society.

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, knights still needed protection. To protect themselves, knights would wear complex armor that usually took over an hour to put on, and often needed the help of his squire. In order to fight well, weapons were essential. A knight’s weapons were sharp and durable. Horses were also crucial to the survival of a knight. France, England, and Germany yielded many famous knights throughout history.

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, knights still needed protection. To protect themselves, knights would wear complex armor that usually took over an hour to put on, and often needed the help of his squire. In order to fight well, they needed strong weapons. A knight’s weapons were sharp and durable. In France, England, and Germany, knights defended their lords

One purpose of the medieval knights was to defend the castle, where the king and his wife lived, the servants of the king, and other people who are part of the king’s service. 2.Secondly, medieval knights were used to battle against other cities and villages that wanted to gain more power to rule more land. 3.There were many different versions of medieval knights that were very helpful in battles and defending. Different versions included knights who rode on horses, walked or ran to attack, or rode in or pushed a tortoise of battering ram. Having medieval knights in the feudal system impacted society greatly.

The Middle Ages was the period of European history from the 5th to the 15th century during the fall of the Western Roman empire. During the central Middle Ages, social, economic, and political structures were rediscovered and organized. Although Europe suffered disasters of famine and war in the 14th century the main social, economic, and political structures remained the same. Europe began to experience its revival between the 15th and 16th century. The Middle Ages ended with the Renaissance period. While Christians stressed the importance of individuality and human equality, secularism and individualism continued to rise and mark the Renaissance society. The middle classes and peasant populations both believed it was possible to change their standard of living. They no longer subjected to inflexible social position as they began to improve their social class and lifestyle through new ideas and hard work.

Knights were powerful warriors. There were many tasks for knights. Kindly, they honored and served their lords. Brave soldiers protected the land from their sinister enemies. The knights battled often and in battle they wore shiny armor and rode beautiful horses. The massive knights who rode huge horses and were clothed in astonishing armor plowed the foot soldiers. In archery and jousting tournaments, they practiced their combat skills.

In Medieval Europe Kingdoms there were many changes. Most of the changes were good for the world. The changes in medieval times can be drawn comparison to todays world. The changes focused on will be political, social, and economic. These changes will help people understand a small part of the worlds history.