Feudalism

 After conquering England, William needed to secure his control of the

people and land.

 He rewarded his closest supporters with large areas of land to

manage on his behalf. This is often referred to as the feudal system.

 There was a huge divide in England between the lives of the wealthy
nobles and the peasantry.

How was the feudal system organised?

The feudal system shows the hierarchy of different groups of people in medieval society.
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The king was at the top of society, and therefore at the top of the feudal
system. When he conquered England, King William took all of the land in
the country. To manage this, he gave large areas of land to noblemen,
including the clergy, lords and barons, in return for them raising him money
and an army.

The nobility were below the king in the hierarchy. This included the clergy,
barons, and lords and ladies. They would distribute some of their land to
knights, who would raise an army to fight for the king when needed.
Noblemen would also let peasants live and work on the land, in return for
taxes and food. The nobility became wealthy from rent raised from
peasants they let farm on the land.

Peasants were the largest and lowest group in medieval society, making up
over 90% of the population. Most peasants were villeins and they were at
the bottom of the system. Some peasants were freemen and they had
more rights than villeins. Peasants had very few rights and little power on
their own, however as a collective group they had the potential to threaten
the power of the king. This was shown in the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.

The feudal system meant that everyone in England, apart from the king,
was a tenant. Barons or Lords who were given land directly from the king
were known as tenants-in-chief.

The feudal system allowed William to control land in England.

The inequality of the feudal system

There was great inequality in medieval society because of the distribution of land and wealth. The nobility was able to raise large
amounts of money from payments from peasants living on their land. Peasants were usually villeins. This meant they were legally tied to
the land they worked on and could only leave with their Lord’s permission. If they had a bad harvest, they faced possible
starvation. Freemen were a minority of peasants who were allowed to move around to work on different land.

There was a belief in medieval England that you would stay at the society level you were born into. So, if you were born a peasant, you
would almost always stay a peasant. Peasants' lives were heavily controlled by those above them in society: the nobility, the Church
and the king.

Crusades

With the rise of Islam and the Seljuk Turks, it became tougher for Christians to visit their
Holy Land in Jereslum.

Therefore in 1095, Pope Urban II promised the knights of Europe forgiveness of

their sins if they went on a Crusade to win back Jerusalem for Christianity. The First
Crusade began in 1096. Christians, known as the Franks, from France, Germany
and Italy set out on the long journey to the Holy Land, led by nobles and knights.
Around 10,000 people gathered at Constantinople, before taking control of Edessa
and Antioch.

After a long seige they captured Jerusalem in 1099. The attack was brutal, with
thousands killed

The loss of Jerusalem was a terrible blow to the Muslims. Christians took control of
the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Jewish people, who had hidden in
their synagogues, were also killed by the Crusaders. The Crusaders now established
a kingdom around Jerusalem.

Reasons for Crusades:

 To obey the Pope's call to free the Holy city from the infidels and ensure access
for pilgrims. St Bernaud of Clairvaux wrote in 1140, Of mighty soldier, oh man of
war, you now have something to fight for. If you win it will be glorious. If you die
fighting for Jerusalem, you will win a place in heaven.
 To be forgiven for past sins. The Pope offered forgiveness for anyone who took part.
This was important for knights who had killed many people in battle.
 To see the world, have an adventure and prove their bravery.
 To get land overseas. This was tempting for a younger son who would not inherit his
father's lands.
 Serfs,
peasants who belonged to their lord, joined the Crusades because the Pope
promised them their freedom if they went.
 To gain wealth.
 Kings encouraged troublesome knights to go on Crusade because it got them out of
the country.