Feudalism: The Medieval Way of Life

The medieval way of life known as feudalism was based on the ownership of land and feudal social classes, reflected how much land people owned. Royalty like kings and queens were in the highest class. After them, came the noble lords such as dukes and earls. They were followed by the knights. Who were followed by skilled craftsmen. Who were followed by the lowly serfs who worked the land. Under the feudal system, people of lower classes showed their respect to the upper classes by serving them. And for their service they received rewards. For example, the lord of a great castle might serve his king by supplying him with knights and soldiers for a war. To show his appreciation for the service, the king might reward the lord with the gift of land. Usually in the form of a manner, which was an important unit of territory and feudal society. A manner usually came complete with a large house like this one. Several farms. And at least one village, along with all the serfs who lived in it. The crops grown on these lands supplied the lord with his income. And the more manners he had, the richer he became. The serfs who belonged to the manners never got rich. They were at the bottom of feudal society because they owned no land. Serfs were not even allowed to move away from a manner without the lord's permission, because his wealth depended on the labor they supplied. The lord rewarded his serfs for the service of their labor. By giving them a place to live, a share of the crops they raised, and protection during dangerous times. Because serfs owned no land, they had nothing to pass down from one generation to the next, so their families always remained poor. In their manner villages, they were not even allowed to grind their own grain into flour for bread. Instead, they had to pay to have it ground at the lord's mill. In feudal society, even though serfs produced nearly all the food, did most of the hard labor, and where the largest class of people, they had few rights, and almost no opportunity for education. As a result, it was nearly impossible for them to rise above the poverty that ruled their lives. While serfs provided the labor ungrateful feudal estates, knights were highly valued for their military skills. So there were always quite a few of them on hand at a castle. Knights were professional warriors who usually fought on horseback. They were very different from the ordinary soldiers of that time, because they came from wealthy families. And they were much better trained. Training for knighthood began at 8 years of age when a boy was sent to a castle to become a page, a student and servant of an experienced night. His training went on for many years, and it wasn't just in how to fight. It was also in such things as horsemanship, reading, singing, chess, and the art of falconry. Special contests called tournaments were often held so that knights and those learning to be knights could practice the skills they needed for combat. Tournaments were popular forms of entertainment in medieval times, but they were dangerous, and knights were often severely injured, participating in them. Because nights came from well to do families, and were so valued for their fighting skills. They held a very high position in feudal society, just below the noble lords. That was why, to show them respect, nights were always addressed as sir. A noble lord would often reward a night for his courage, with the gift of manner lands, and the income they provided. So on a lord's great estate, it was not uncommon to find nights living in many of the manor houses.