Invaders Attack Western Europe q Vikings attack from

Invaders Attack Western Europe q Vikings attack from the North Came down from Scandinavia Responsible for a new Europe in 900 A. D. q Magyars attack from the East Excellent horsemen Came from Hungary Took slaves, did not settle q Muslims attack from the South Came from North Africa

Vikings

A New Social Order: Feudalism q Came as a result of invasion q Many people turned to local rulers to protect them q Feudalism: A political system that stressed alliances of mutual protection Vassalage: heart of feudalism, vassals swore an oath of loyalty & paid homage Feudal Contract: unwritten rules that made relationships official Each lord was a vassal, a noble who served another noble of higher rank

Feudalism (Continued) q Feudalism: A political system that stressed alliances of mutual protection Knights: heavily armored cavalry Fief: gift of land, serfs, and castle (fortified manor house)

Feudalism (Continued) q Feudalism: A political system that stressed alliances of mutual protection Lord: governed manor & castle – near total authority within fief Lady of the castle: managed estate while lord was away

Manor System

Manor System q Manor System: Basic economic arrangement Lord gives land/protection to peasant works the land q Life on the Manor 15 -30 families Self-sufficient community Peasant/Serfs paid a tax on everything. A tithe was church tax amounting to 1/10 of their income Peasant families slept on dirt floors – Hungary Average was 35 – never traveled more than 25 miles outside of manor in their lifetime had to get permission from lord to marry

The Medieval Manor

Life on the Medieval Manor Serfs at work

Chivalry q Chivalry A knights code of honor Fought for God, Lord, and Lady q Training Began at age 7 as a page Age 14, he became a squire Age 21, he became a knight

Chivalry: A Code of Honor and Behavior

Chivalry (Cont) q Tournaments A mixture of recreation and combat training Winners got large ransoms from defeated knights q The Literature of Chivalry Epic Poetry Entertainment for Feudal lords and ladies Epic stories like King Arthur and Charlemagne The Song of Roland: French knights against Muslims in Spain

Chivalry – Bors chose to save a maiden rather than his brother Lionel

Main Parts of a Medieval Castle

Parts of a Medieval Castle

Carcassonne: A Medieval Castle

Chauvigny Castle, France, 11 c

Spanish Castle, 14 c

Methods in Attacking a Castle 1. Deception: Spies were used to infiltrate the castle. They could, at night, open the castle gates or wreak havoc on the interior defenses of the castle. The most famous case of this tactic is the Trojan Horse. 2. Treachery: Someone trusted within the power structure of the castle could give misleading information that would bring down the castle. He could for example report that there were many more troops sieging the castle than there actually were. This would induce the castle residents to either revolt or surrender out of fear. 3. Starvation: This was a method used but it often meant many months, sometimes even a year or more. The sieging army would station itself around the castle and not allow any form of commerce. Eventually the inhabitants would surrender due to imminent starvation. 4. Biological warfare: Yep that's right. A sieging force could launch the remains of rotting corpses into the castle causing outbreaks of lifethreatening illness. 5. Simple storm: The sieging force could carry on an all out attack at various points of the castle. This overwhelming would hopefully break through in some places causing a collapse in defenses. 6. Mining: The sieging army would actually dig tunnels under the castle. The hope was not so much for an entry into the castle but for a way to collapse the castle defenses.

Methods in Attacking a Castle Catapults - A catapult was a large machine used to throw objects, often rocks, arrows, pots of fire, or even spears, at a castle. This would destroy the castle walls and buildings

Methods in Attacking a Castle Trebuchet - Similar to the catapult in that it was designed to throw large objects but it was more efficient than a catapult because it could be built faster and at less cost. Yet it could throw heavier objects even further.

Methods in Attacking a Castle Battering Rams: They were large mechanical objects, often on wheels that were used to ram the walls and doors of a castle in an attempt to break them down. Often times battering rams were part of a siege tower.

Methods in Attacking a Castle Siege Towers: Were wooden towers often built at the site of the siege. They were built to the height of the castle walls and were on wheels so they could be rolled up to the wall. Then the attackers could cross right over into the castle.