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Problem of dividing medieval society
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Some merit to '3 orders'
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Most people were knights, clergy, or peasants
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Population↑ 35 mil (1000) → 80 mil (1400)
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Infant mortality still v high
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Hazards
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→disease
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→famine
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→lay nobility: warfare
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→women: childbirth
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Most kings didn't die violent deaths
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Warfare: most clergy & peasants not at risk
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Higher clergy: longer lifespan
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Difficult to estimate life exp
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→depended on wealth/gender/occupation/region
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Most records from the wealthy
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→often no birth dates, only death dates
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Many lived until 60s, some till 80s
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Most western Europe: village societies
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(11th & 12th centuries)
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Lord owned land. Ruled population: owed him service, rent, allegiance
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Most peasants paid rent in service & money
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Free/unfree peasants = most of population
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→Free peasants: freedom to move
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→Serfs: tied to lord's land
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10th cent: Slaves common southern Europe
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→Church opposed to Christians as slaves
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Freedom = hereditary
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→you're a serf? so are your kids!
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→Some free peasants gave up freedom for lord's protection (food)
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Early middle ages: more land, less labour, serfs needed
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→After 10th cent: reversed
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End of 12th century: serf's role more defined
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→Pros: swifter justice, limited rights, stronger foundation
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Assarting
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→Serfs could gain freedom
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For those free, society = mobile to an extent
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→limited range of occupations
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→by 12th cent, merchant & artisan classes grew
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→Artisans: miners; smiths; shipbuilders; carpenters; stonemasons
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→Merchants: organised market & trade
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Lending money w/ interested - forbidden by Church
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→ban didn't apply to Jews; Jewish merchants involved in moneylending
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Between 11th & 15th cents, merchant classes grew w/ towns
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By granting autonomy & privileges, everyone profited
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Italy: more complicated
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→long tradition of civic life, some cities v rich & powerful
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→fragmented political rivalry
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→11th cent: rise of port cities - Pisa, Venice, Genoa
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These concepts/terms in wide use since mid 19th cent
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Marxists: 'feudal society' to explain pre-cap
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Legal historians: 'feudal society' for specific legal rship
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Terms and concepts v problematic:
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→overgeneralise
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→presuppose existence of coherent system across kingdoms & times
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Someargue terms are good to introduce students to the Middle Ages
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Feudal bond: special legal rship between knight & lord
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→Lord: recruits knights, rewards w/ feudal bond
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→Established through homage & oath
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Homage: vassal kneels before his lord & places his hands in his lord's hands
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Oath: then rises and takes an oath of loyalty to lord
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Rship: mutual benefit
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→Knight: got land and money
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→Lord: got loyalty and military service
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Fief: plot of land given to vassal
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By 11th/12th cents, more common for vassals to have 1+ lord
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→Weakened bond between lord & vassal
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→i.e. one lord at war w/ the other, who does vassal fight for?
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