Medieval Society
Problem of dividing medieval society |
Some merit to '3 orders' |
Most people were knights, clergy, or peasants |
Population↑ 35 mil (1000) → 80 mil (1400) |
Infant mortality still v high |
Hazards |
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→disease |
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→famine |
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→lay nobility: warfare |
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→women: childbirth |
Most kings didn't die violent deaths |
Warfare: most clergy & peasants not at risk |
Higher clergy: longer lifespan |
Difficult to estimate life exp |
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→depended on wealth/gender/occupation/region |
Most records from the wealthy |
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→often no birth dates, only death dates |
Many lived until 60s, some till 80s |
Village Society
Most western Europe: village societies |
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(11th & 12th centuries) |
Lord owned land. Ruled population: owed him service, rent, allegiance |
Most peasants paid rent in service & money |
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Peasants & Serfdom
Free/unfree peasants = most of population |
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→Free peasants: freedom to move |
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→Serfs: tied to lord's land |
10th cent: Slaves common southern Europe |
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→Church opposed to Christians as slaves |
Freedom = hereditary |
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→you're a serf? so are your kids! |
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→Some free peasants gave up freedom for lord's protection (food) |
Early middle ages: more land, less labour, serfs needed |
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→After 10th cent: reversed |
End of 12th century: serf's role more defined |
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→Pros: swifter justice, limited rights, stronger foundation |
Assarting |
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→Serfs could gain freedom |
Liberty
For those free, society = mobile to an extent |
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→limited range of occupations |
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→by 12th cent, merchant & artisan classes grew |
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→Artisans: miners; smiths; shipbuilders; carpenters; stonemasons |
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→Merchants: organised market & trade |
Lending money w/ interested - forbidden by Church |
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→ban didn't apply to Jews; Jewish merchants involved in moneylending |
Between 11th & 15th cents, merchant classes grew w/ towns |
By granting autonomy & privileges, everyone profited |
Italy: more complicated |
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→long tradition of civic life, some cities v rich & powerful |
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→fragmented political rivalry |
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→11th cent: rise of port cities - Pisa, Venice, Genoa |
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'Feudal system'/'Feudalism'
These concepts/terms in wide use since mid 19th cent |
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Marxists: 'feudal society' to explain pre-cap |
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Legal historians: 'feudal society' for specific legal rship |
Terms and concepts v problematic: |
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→overgeneralise |
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→presuppose existence of coherent system across kingdoms & times |
Someargue terms are good to introduce students to the Middle Ages |
Feudal bond: special legal rship between knight & lord |
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→Lord: recruits knights, rewards w/ feudal bond |
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→Established through homage & oath |
Homage: vassal kneels before his lord & places his hands in his lord's hands |
Oath: then rises and takes an oath of loyalty to lord |
Rship: mutual benefit |
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→Knight: got land and money |
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→Lord: got loyalty and military service |
Fief: plot of land given to vassal |
By 11th/12th cents, more common for vassals to have 1+ lord |
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→Weakened bond between lord & vassal |
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→i.e. one lord at war w/ the other, who does vassal fight for? |
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