Feudal Society
Feudal System
- Rigid social class structure
- Lesser nobles were granted their own fief and were expected to swear an oath of loyalty in exchange for military service
- This made them vassals (someone who receives land in the Feudal System)
- Serfs were forced to work the lord's land
- Peasants and serfs made up the largest part of the population and was the main labor force
Women in Feudal Society
- Seen as inferior
- Could rule the land when their husbands were away
- Were limited to activities in the home when their husbands were present
- Could not inherit land
Manorial System
- Economic system practiced during the early Middle Ages
- The manor was the center of economic and social life during the Middle Ages
- All legal and economic power belongs to the lord of the manor
- The lord of the manor is economically supported by the peasants and serfs
- Economy of the manor was based on farming and self-sufficiency