Medieval SocietyProblem 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 | | →disease | | →famine | | →lay nobility: warfare | | →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 | | →depended on wealth/gender/occupation/region | Most records from the wealthy | | →often no birth dates, only death dates | Many lived until 60s, some till 80s |
Village SocietyMost western Europe: village societies | | (11th & 12th centuries) | Lord owned land. Ruled population: owed him service, rent, allegiance | Most peasants paid rent in service & money |
| | Peasants & SerfdomFree/unfree peasants = most of population | | →Free peasants: freedom to move | | →Serfs: tied to lord's land | 10th cent: Slaves common southern Europe | | →Church opposed to Christians as slaves | Freedom = hereditary | | →you're a serf? so are your kids! | | →Some free peasants gave up freedom for lord's protection (food) | Early middle ages: more land, less labour, serfs needed | | →After 10th cent: reversed | End of 12th century: serf's role more defined | | →Pros: swifter justice, limited rights, stronger foundation | Assarting | | →Serfs could gain freedom |
LibertyFor those free, society = mobile to an extent | | →limited range of occupations | | →by 12th cent, merchant & artisan classes grew | | →Artisans: miners; smiths; shipbuilders; carpenters; stonemasons | | →Merchants: organised market & trade | Lending money w/ interested - forbidden by Church | | →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 | | →long tradition of civic life, some cities v rich & powerful | | →fragmented political rivalry | | →11th cent: rise of port cities - Pisa, Venice, Genoa |
| | 'Feudal system'/'Feudalism'These concepts/terms in wide use since mid 19th cent | | Marxists: 'feudal society' to explain pre-cap | | Legal historians: 'feudal society' for specific legal rship | Terms and concepts v problematic: | | →overgeneralise | | →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 | | →Lord: recruits knights, rewards w/ feudal bond | | →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 | | →Knight: got land and money | | →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 | | →Weakened bond between lord & vassal | | →i.e. one lord at war w/ the other, who does vassal fight for? |
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