This is the root of the term Anglo-Saxon, which is often used to describe English peoples.Īrabs and Saracens invaded from the south settling in Spain, Italy, Portugal and southern Gaul (France).ĭanes invaded England and settled in the northeast of the country. Below is a list of the eight key tribes of the period.Īngles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians invaded England. New waves of invasions took place in the early ninth century by tribes not previously known to invade European lands. These tribes waged battles and war to establish new territories and kingdoms, where the leaders were always heroes of battles for land. The Roman Empire was in decline and being invaded by many tribes in the third, fourth and fifth centuries. The blacksmith would also work as an armorer for the queen or count – making swords, shields and armor. The metalsmith, sometimes called blacksmith, had to first make his tools before he could make metal parts such as horseshoes, nails and door hinges. Thus, a master carpenter was always in demand and could earn high wages. Furnishing castles and estates was not only done for decorative purposes, but also to demonstrate prestige and status to visitors. Queen and nobles often sought the finest carpenters and kept them retained on their staffs as specialists. A knowledge of math, woodworking and the use of tools was required for all carpenters. To become a carpenter, it was usually necessary to join a guild as an apprentice and learn the craft. TradesmenĬarpenters were highly skilled and considered to be elite tradesmen. Often farmers, peasants and serfs brought their animals into their homes to protect them. The interior walls were generally made of wattle and daub – an arrangement of twigs weaved into a wall shape and coated with mud and straw to make a hard, plaster-like surface to keep out drafts. They built their own homes from wood and the roofs were thatched (made of bundles of reeds that have to be replaced periodically). Most worked the farm lands themselves or with the aid of peasants and serfs.įarmers and peasants lived in simple dwellings called cottages. Serfs, however, could do neither and were not permitted to relocate with out the lord’s approval.įarmers were a bit better off than peasants, as some owned their own farms. The feudal system was also characterized by the traditions of chivalry and knighthood, with their emphasis on honor and service.Everyday peasants could be educated and marry if they could afford it. In the feudal regime, where the judges and executors of civil law were usually illiterate, custom and law were largely one and the same. Practically, the king was elevated by war, inheritance or election. Theoretically, the king was the vassal of God and governed by divine right.
The secular feudal regime was headed by the king, the lord of all vassals. By the 12th century, the Church was a feudal and hierarchical structure of mutual protection and service headed by the pope. At the top of the feudal hierarchy were the church and the king, as the feudal system had both secular and religious regimes. The power of the landed aristocracy created by this system lasted until the Industrial Revolution.
In the Middle Ages, land proprietorship and management became the sole source of wealth. The barons in feudal Europe often owned more than one manor or estate. The freemen included nobles, clerics, professionals, most merchants, artisans, and peasants who owned their land with little or no obligation to any feudal lord.
FREEMEN IN FEUDALISM IN THE MIDDLE AGES FREE
Free serfs built villages around the baronial villas. The serf often tilled a plot of land owned by a lord or Baron. Originally, feudal societies were composed of slaves, serfs, and freemen.
Although the origins of the feudal system lay in Italy and Germany, its most characteristic development came in France. Thus, under the Feudal System, European society was divided into two distinct classes, those who were landholders and those who were tied to the land.Īfter the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Barbarian tribes introduced feudalism into Europe.
However, in practice, the feudal system was the economic dependence and military support of the common man to his superior in return for protection. Essentially, the Feudal System granted large tracts of land to lords, who offered the protection of their estate and their court to those who swore allegiance to them. Its structure varied from nation to nation and manor to manor. The feudal system lasted for approximately six centuries.