*Notes on Chapter 11 (Manors, Towns, and Kingdoms)*

The Feudal Compact
-Feudalism is the relationship between landowners and warriors.
-Warriors known as knights, would pledge his allegiance to a lord, who would in turn give that knight land.
- The Lord would give land to the knight (or fief, which is property)
- The knights would them become the Lords vassal, or servant, (This was known as the "feudal compact")
-The Vassal was required to defend the Lord when necessary, and attend his court once a month.

Homage and Knighthood
- A Vassal was required to pay homage to his Lord, usually requiring to pledge your allegiance by kneeling     down and taking the lord's hands while speaking an oath.
-Men were apprenticed to older knights before they could become a knight themselves.
-When a knight died, his fief would be passed down to the next generation (if he was a male of course)

-Some Clergy would be known to fight as knights themselves

Feudal States
-Barons were lords of large territories who usually paid homage to a King (Kings ruled a country).
- Often a Baron's army could outnumber that of a King, which helped protect the King even more.

Peasants and Lords
- Medieval society was divided into three "estates": the clergy, the nobility, and the common people.
-Usually the peasantry farmed on large plantations known as "manors" which were owned by a lord or lady of the nobility (or members of the clergy)
- Iron plows and water-powered grinding mills helped with agricultural production, but yield was still minuscule by today's standards.
-To maintain the health of the soil, the "three-field system" was used where two fields were planted (on in fall, one in spring) and one field was left to reconstitute its fertility- them they were rotated.
-Many villages sprung up on and around manors with small cottages for the peasants, and a large manor house for the lord and lady.

The People of the Manor
- The Lord oversaw everything that happened in the land.
-The Lady of the House took care of the manor and helped make decisions with the Lord
- Most Peasants were serfs, meaning they were bound to the lands and to their lords for "labor service" a few days each week.
- Serfs were also in charge of exploring and settling on unexplored land.

The Growth of Trade
-The Agricultural boom after 1000 allowed for the establishment of many towns across Europe.
-Most of the Trade could have been things that were raised on an average manor.

Trade and Towns
-Most Medieval towns were surrounded by fortified walls.
Residences also sprang up outsides the walls in suburbs.
-Towns were dominated by a main church and a central marketplace.
-Buildings for the craft guilds and the wealthiest families would also be in the center of the town.

The Life of Townspeople
-Though townspeople were free, unlike serfs, they still had a hierarchy: merchants at the top, then craftsmen and artisans, then unskilled laborers and apprentices.

The Guilds
-Merchants, craftsmen, and artisans formed their own groups called guilds, which regulated their trade and protected its members.
- Craftsmen were classified as masters, journeymen, and apprentices.
- Once became a master after spending years learning as an apprentice, working as a paid journeyman foe a number of years, and completing his "masterpiece"
-Guilds participated in religious feasts and festivals, social organizations and usually provided well for charities.

(credit to Gavin Lewis's WCIV student textbook)