3.3.1 Order out of chaos Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 to 814 CE. He was a powerful leader who conquered many lands. His empire grew larger than the old Roman Empire and, in 800 CE, the Pope crowned him ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne brought peace and productivity to his chaotic empire by implementing a strong feudal system. In 800 CE, Charlemagne gave land to churchmen and wealthy families in exchange for their support in running the empire. This system is called feudalism. Although based on older practices, Charlemagne’s time provides strong evidence of a clear feudal system in Europe. It took hundreds of years for feudalism to spread. Some European countries never adopted it, and some Asian societies, like Japan, developed their own versions of feudalism. 3.3.2 The feudal kingdom In early medieval Europe, there were few cities or towns. Most communities were small villages. Most villagers were peasants — poor farmers who worked the land. Peasants made up about 90 per cent of the population and generated most of the wealth. Under feudalism , the monarch (king or queen) owned all the land. The next most powerful were the feudal lords , nobles who owned large areas of land. In exchange for land and control over peasants, these nobles (or tenants-in-chief) had to be loyal to the monarch, fight in wars, and give the monarch part of the taxes collected from peasants. Below the nobles were the knights (or sub-tenants). They received land in return for loyalty, fighting for their lord, and providing taxes they took from their peasants.
SOURCE2 How society in Europe was organised under the feudal system
Provided fully equipped knights to serve for a term in the monarch’s army
MONARCH
Gave land and other privileges
Pledged their loyalty, money and prayers
TENANTS-IN-CHIEF (lords and bishops)
Offered to fight and pray for the monarch
Gave land and other privileges
Guarded property of tenant-in-chief and protected him
SUB-TENANTS (knights and lesser clergy)
Paid taxes in the form of crops
Worked the land
Allocated spare land
PEASANTS (free serfs and those bound to lords for life)
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources
1. Study SOURCE2. How does the image show the roles and responsibilities of each class in the feudal system? 2. What visual elements in the image highlight the power dynamics and relationships between the different social classes? 3. How does the feudal hierarchy help us understand the economic and social structure of medieval European society?
56 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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