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Topic: The Middle Ages in Europe

Essential Question: What role did lords, knights, and serfs play in the structure of feudalism?

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Timeline

• Early Middle Ages: 500 – 1000

• High Middle Ages: 1000 – 1250

• Late Middle Ages: 1250 - 1500

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Life on a Manor

• A manor was similar to a village. It consisted of peasants’ huts, a church, a mill, and various shops, along with fields and pastures. All of these were clustered near the castle or manor house of a great lord.

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A Medieval Castle

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Parts of a Medieval Castle

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The Lord of the Manor

• The lord and his family, along with his knights and servants, lived in the castle or large house called a manor house.

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A Medieval Manor

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Knights and Knighthood

• Knights were the mounted soldiers of the Middle Ages. To become a knight, a young man of a noble family passed through several stages of training.

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The Page

• At the age of about 7, a boy from a noble family could become a page. He was sent to live in another castle, where he was taught manners and how to ride and hunt. He also learned the art of combat by practicing with miniature weapons.

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Pageboys in Training

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The Squire

• At age 14, a page became a squire. He learned additional fighting skills and served a knight. He cared for the knight’s horse and armor, and even joined his lord in battle.

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A squire helping a knight

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The Knight

• At about the age of 21, a worthy squire became a knight in an elaborate ceremony. Dressed in full armor, the squire knelt before his lord, who knighted him by tapping him on the shoulder with a sword and saying “I dub you a knight.”

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Dubbing a Knight

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Code of Chivalry

• Once a knight. A young man swore to defend the Church and the poor, be well mannered toward the ladies, and display fairness on the battlefield.

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Serfs

• Serfs were bound to the soil. They worked the lord’s land in return for protection and some land of their own.

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Serfs at work on a Medieval Manor