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Feudal Europe: Difference between revisions
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** "vassal" comes from Celtic for "young boy" or "servant" | ** "vassal" comes from Celtic for "young boy" or "servant" | ||
*** the Romans adopted the word from Celtic and called it ''vassal'', which became ''valet'' in French | *** the Romans adopted the word from Celtic and called it ''vassal'', which became ''valet'' in French | ||
* related terms | * other related terms | ||
**'''chivalry''' | **'''chivalry''' | ||
*** from cheval | ***the code of conduct of knights and their sense of honor | ||
** '''fealty''' | *** from the French, "cheval" for "horse, giving us the words ''chivalry'' and c''hevalier'' | ||
** '''clergy''' | |||
** '''court/ courtly manners''' | |||
**'''fealty''' | |||
*** for "in fee" which means what is due to the lord in exchange for a grant (usually of land but also of offices, trade rights, etc.) to a vassal | *** for "in fee" which means what is due to the lord in exchange for a grant (usually of land but also of offices, trade rights, etc.) to a vassal | ||
**'''knight''' | **'''knight''' | ||
***English term for a person granted a title, in the feudal context, for warfare | |||
***from Old English, "''cniht''" which originally meant "boy" or "servant" (the "hard c" was pronounces, thus "k-n-icht" | |||
***"knight" and its present meaning and pronunciation was introduced into English after the Norman Invasion of 1066 AD | |||
***so the importance of a knight is not just the military ability but the title and fealty | |||
**'''manor''' | |||
**'''serf/ serfdom''' | |||
** | |||
== Origins == | == Origins == | ||
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=== From stirrups to knights === | === From stirrups to knights === | ||
* | * prior to the 800s AD, Frankish elites and rulers rode to battle by horseback, but fought on the ground | ||
* the stirrup enabled the rider to wield swords and other weapons (lances were enabled by advances in saddles but their development followed skills and tactics developed using stirrups) | ** Charles Martel is often depicted fighting on horseback, but his army was infantry with tactics specifically designed to defeat the lightly armored Umayyad calvary at the Battle of Tours in 732 | ||
* | * into the 700s, the Franks adopted the stirrup, which enabled development of "heavy calvary" capable of fighting on horseback | ||
* thus | ** the stirrup enabled the rider to wield swords and other weapons (lances were enabled by advances in saddles but their development followed skills and tactics developed using stirrups) | ||
* early armor was chain mail (linked wires to protect against slashes and punctures) | |||
* into the late 1300s, knights added "plate armor" over their chain mail and, later, for their horses, for additional protection and power | |||
** development of the crossbow and lances made chain mail alone ineffective | |||
** thus the prototypical horse-mounted, "armored knight," which was the equivalent of a modern tank, did not arise until the late feudal period | |||
=== From knights to feudalism === | === From knights to feudalism === | ||
* equipment and horses of the knights were very expensive and required extensive training | * equipment and horses of the knights were very expensive and required extensive training, thus created an elite status for knights | ||
* knights began to take on not just military but social, economic and political power | * knights began to take on not just military but social, economic and political power | ||
* local lords began the practice of granting land to knights in exchange for military service and allegiance | * local lords began the practice of granting land to knights in exchange for military service and allegiance | ||
* as knights gained power, wealth, and property, they employed peasants to manage their lands and farms | * as knights gained power, wealth, and property, they employed peasants to manage their lands and farms | ||
** these properties were known as "'''fiefs'''" | ** these properties were known as "'''fiefs'''" | ||
* knights were especially useful to kings because, due to their effectiveness, they negated the need for a "standing" (permanent, professional) army | |||
** until the 1400s, French armies were made up of off-season farmers who could only fight outside of their agricultural duties | |||
*** farmers made up 80+% of Medieval European populations | |||
** the first professional army in England was organized under Oliver Cromwell in 1645 during the English Civil War with the "New Model Army" (see [https://www.school4schools.com/wiki/index.php?title=US_History_timeline_%26_concept_chart:_16th-18th_centuries_(to_1754)_British-American_colonies#The_Commonwealth_.28or_Interregnum.29_.26_Charles_Cromwell US History outline#Charles Cromwell]) | |||
* | * | ||
=== Agricultural Revolution === | === Agricultural Revolution === | ||
* several technologies and agricultural practices led to a tremendous increase in crop yields in Europe starting around AD 900 | |||
** which led to population increases | |||
* | |||
==Summary Questions== | ==Summary Questions== | ||