Last Name:_______________________ First Name:_______________________ Date:_____________ Per.:____ELD 1 & 2- Unit 1, Chapter 2, Part 3

The Development of Feudalism in Western Europe: Part 3 of 3 (Pages 26-29)

Mounted Page Squire Peasants Livestock 2.3 Knights During Feudal TimesKnights were mounted1 soldiers of the medieval world. Most knights were rich because owning a suit or armor for protection and a horse were very expensive. They usually were vassals of more powerful lords. Becoming a Knight- The path to becoming a knight took many years of training. A boy started as a page, or servant. At the age of seven, a boy would leave home and went to live at the castle of the lord, usually a relative. Nearly all wealthy lords had several pages living in their castle. A page also learned how to ride a horse and received religious training from the local priest. During the first stage of training, pages spent much time with the ladies of the castle. The ladies taught the young boys many skills such as how to sing, dance, compose music, and play the harp. These skills were also important for knights to have.

Apposition- What is a page?A page is

Cognates- What is a servant?A servant is

At about age 14 a young page became a squire. He spent most of his time with the knight who was his lord. He polished his armor, sword, shield, and lance. He also took care of the knight’s horse and did other simple jobs for the knight such as carry his water for hand washing, carved his meat, and filled his cup when it was empty. Most importantly, squires trained to be future warriors. They learned to fight with a variety of weapons such as a lance (see above), and battle-ax and mace. They practice by fighting in make believe battles, but did go into real battles. They were expected to help their knights put on their armor (see the picture to the right) and look out after him if he was wounded in battle. In his early twenties, a squire could become a knight if he was deserving. Sometimes, if a squire did particularly well in battle, he was made a knight on the spot. In order to become a knight, the lord would place the flat side of his/her sword on each shoulder while the squire was kneeling (see picture to the left).

1 Mounted means to ride on a horse

Knights Jousting

2.4 Peasants During Feudal TimesMost people in the Middle Ages were peasants. They were not lords or vassals. But, they did play an important part in feudal society as they worked the land and created the food supply. This allowed lords and knights time to prepare for war or actual fighting. During the medieval times, peasants were legally classified as free or unfree. Free peasants rented the land to farm and owed only the rent to their lord. Unfree peasants, or serfs, also farmed the land, but could not leave the lord’s estate. In return, they received a small plot of land of their own to farm. The daily life of peasants revolved around work. Most peasants raised crops and tended to livestock (farm animals). But every manor also had carpenters, shoemakers, metalworkers, and other skilled workers.

Perspectives: Would you rather be peasant or a serf? Why? I would rather be a _______________because___________________________

Women peasants also worked the fields while caring for their children and homes. Serfs always seemed to owe taxes. They had to pay a yearly payment called “head money”, which was a set number for each person living on the estate of the lord. The lord could also demand a tax called a tallage whenever he needed money. When a woman married, she, her father or her husband had to pay a fee called a merchet. Serfs were also required to grind their grain at the lord’s mill (the only mill in the village). The miller kept some grain for himself and some for the lord. Lords could keep any amount they wanted. Some serfs had their own small hand mill in their homes to avoid paying such high taxes. As you can imagine, most peasants lived in small houses of one or two rooms. A typical peasant home was made of wood and covered with straw or mud. Peasants had little furniture or other possessions. There was a small fire in the middle of the main room, but with no chimney to let the smoke out, so it was always dark and smoky inside. An entire family might eat and sleep in one room that sometimes also had livestock (farm animals) inside. Peasants ate vegetables, meat such as pork, and dark bread made of wheat mixed with rye and oatmeal. During the winter they ate meat and fish that had been preserved in salt.

In your own words, find the meaning of the words below:1) Mounted:___________________________________________________________________________ 2) Page:_______________________________________________________________________________3) Squire:______________________________________________________________________________ 4) Peasants:____________________________________________________________________________5) Livestock:___________________________________________________________________________

Serfs Working the Land

Grinding Mill

1) Total Words Read:___1) Mistakes:_______1) Total Correct:______

Last Name:_______________________ First Name:_______________________ Date:_____________ Per.:____

ELD- Unit 1, Chapter 2, Part 3The Development of Feudalism in Western Europe: Extension (Pages 26-29)

Directions: Write down what is happening in the pictures below:

1)

In the picture above__________________________________________________________X___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________X___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2)

In the picture above__________________________________________________________X___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________X___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2)

In the picture above__________________________________________________________X___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________X___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________