Land
Who theoretically owned all the land?
The King
What was feudalism?
A social, political, and economic system in medieval Europe.
Who were the main workers on the manor?
Serfs
What was a fief?
A large piece of land granted to someone by a king or lord
What was exchanged for land in the feudal system?
Land was exchanged for loyalty, military service, and labor.
How many days a week did serfs usually work on the lord’s demesne?
2–3 days.
Who divided land among knights and peasants?
Lords divided their land among knights and peasants/serfs.
Who divided land among knights and peasants?
Roughly the 9th to 15th centuries.
What did serfs do on their own strips of land?
They farmed them to produce food for themselves.
What were common woods, pastures, and meadows used for?
They were used for farming, grazing animals, and gathering resources.
Why was land so important in the feudal system?
Land gave people wealth, power, food, and control over others.
Could serfs freely leave the land they worked?
They were generally bound to the land.
Describe how land was divided from the king down to the serfs.
The king granted land to powerful lords → lords kept some and gave portions
Explain how land, loyalty, labor, and military service connected the different levels of feudal society.
The king gave land to lords, lords gave land to knights, and peasants/serfs worked the land in exchange for protection and the right to use it.
What was one major difference between serfs and free peasants?
Free peasants had more freedom and usually rented/worked land, while serfs were bound to the lord’s land.