Unit - 6th
The three Orders
Short Answer Type Questions
Q: Describe the main features of feudal society in Europe?
Ans: The word Feudalism is derived from Latin word “Feudam” means fief or land held on the conditions of service. The term feudalism in technical terms denotes a social system of rights and duties based on land tenure and personal relationships in which land in particular is held as fief. The ‘fief’ means property in land held by vassal from lord to whom he owes specific services and personal loyalty. In broader sense feudal society is a form of civilization based on closed village economy.
Main Features:
1. Hierarchy:-the feudal mode of society establishes hierarchy in which at the top was king followed by vassals and sub-vassals. The peasants especially serfs were at the bottom.
2. Serfdom:- The peasants formed the lowest and the largest section of society. They were divided into three categories i.e, free holders, vileins and serfs- who were permanently attached to land. The serf had to perform unpaid (forced) services to lord.
3. Hereditary: The feudal society was hereditary. The son of lord was lord, vasssals sons were vassal and serf son a serf.
4. Manor: The feudal lords Manor had lords house, farm house, and field, castle and peasants dwellings. The lord exercised variety of police, judicial, fiscal and other rights in his manor.
5. Feudal army: Besides loyalty and certain taxes, the vassals had to maintain private armies (Feudal levy) and provide the same to lord whenever called by lord.
Q: How did the long term changes in population levels affect economy and society in Europe?
Ans: The steady growth in population from 42 million in 1000 AD to 73 Million in 1300 AD and then decrease to 43 million in 1400 AD had far reaching effects on the economy and society of Europe.
1. The increase in population solved the problems of labour as more and more peasants became subject to lords.
2. A parallel development was the growth in money economy and number of towns where peasants sell their surplus produce.
3. Scarcity of land as population growth was over stripping the resources.
4. The shortage in land and change in environment resulted into frequent occurrence of famines from 1315 to 1317 and death of cattle in Laths.
5. Depopulation caused shortage of agricultural labour and increase in wages to about 250% in England.
Q: Why did the knights became a distinct group, and when did they decline?
Ans: The decline of Roman Empire was followed by barbarian invasions, military conflicts and lack of unifying force. The amateur peasant-soldier was no longer sufficient and good cavalry was needed. This created professional cavalry warriors known as knights.
The knights were linked to nobles in the same way as lords were to king. The lord gave a piece of land (fief) to knight and promised to protect it. In return the knights paid the lord regular fee and promised to be loyal and fight for him during war. This piece of land was cultivated by peasants. Thus, military mobilization and extraction of surplus from peasants led to the growth of knights.
The growth of absolute monarchies in 15th and 16th centuries with centralization of powers, standing army (infantry equipped with guns and artillery), professional bureaucracy and national taxation led to the decline of Knights.
Q: What was the function of medieval Monasteries?
Ans: Some deeply religious minded people chose to live away from human habitation in contrast to clerics in church. They lived in Abbeys or Monasteries e. g St. Benedict in Italy (529) and Cluny in Burgundy (in 910.
Monasteries comprised of Monks and Nuns who took vow to live rest of their lives in Abbeys/monasteries to Pray, Study and to do manual work like farming. The monasteries were single sex communities often from 10 to 20 in number. Over the time the size of monasteries grew into large communities of several 100’s with large buildings, landed estates, and schools, colleges and hospitals attached to them. The strict rules and regulations taught discipline to monks and nuns. The monasteries helped in spread of education and health care facilities. They promoted art e. g, Abbess Hildegard helped in the development of music in church. The 13th century wandering monks called as friars moved from place to place instead of confined at one place.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q: Compare the conditions of life for a French Serf and a Roman Slave?
Ans:- 1. French Serf: Serfs in France were the lowest category of peasants. They were most numerous in feudal society. They worked in their own field as well as in the field of feudal lord for which they were not paid. They were tied to the land and cannot move without the permission of lord. They also gave some unpaid services to the lord. They could marry but the lord decided to whom a serf can marry. The most significant feature of serfdom was coercion exercised by feudal lord on the serf.
1. Roman Slave: In Rome it was slave mode of production. The Roman slaves were regarded as a form of property. They were treated as objects or commodities which could be bought and sold in the market. They had no rights. They were degraded to the extent that they were often not even seen as human beings. The authority of the master over slave was absolute. Slaves retained no kingship ties and maintained no families. They were completely subjugated to their master. They had no identity of their own. Slave labour was found in every sector of the Roman Economy especially agriculture mining and handicrafts. In fact Greco- Roman society is termed as Slave Society because slaves were employed on a large scale in production.
Q: Who were Feudal Lord’s?
Ans: Feudal lords were the big land owners (clergy and nobility) who derived their authority directly from king as vassals. These lords as vassals of king had to render various services for which king made a grant of land called fief to them. These feudal lords remained loyal to lord, maintained army called feudal levies for king. They enjoyed various judicial, police, fiscal rights on their fief. The fief was cultivated by peasants and serfs who lived on the estate.
Q: Towns air makes free. Discuss?
Ans:- Under feudal system, the cultivators in rural area’s whether free or serfs were bound to the lord. These serfs were bound to lord’s manor through various unpaid services and could not leave the lords estate without his permission. In contrast in towns instead of services people paid taxes to the lord who owned land on which the town stood. Towns offered the prospect of paid work and freedom from the lord’s control. Many serfs craving to be free hid in towns where if they could stay for one year and one day without his lord discovering him,
he became a free man. Thus, many peasants escaped from rural areas and provided unskilled labour in towns. Since towns offered prospect of freedom from the lords control it was popularly believed, “Town’s air make free”.
Q: Who constituted the Three Orders? Describe their role?
Ans: In medieval France, priests believed in the concept that people were members of one of the three orders, depending on their work. Some people pray, others fight, and still others work. Thus, the three orders of society were broadly The Clergy, The Nobility and Peasants.
1. First order: The Christian priests were an important section of society, thus clergy constituted the first Order. The clergy class derived its importance from the Catholic Church’s eminence in feudal society. The church and Clergy had its own Laws and land (given by rulers) and could levy taxes. The head of western Church was Pope in Rome, followed by Bishops and clerics. Most villages had their own church where Christian assembled on Sunday to listen to sermon by priest. Thus Bishops and clerics were religious nobility who owned vast landed estates, lived in grand palaces and could levy taxes like Tithe. Money also came to churches’ in the form of endowments from rich people.
2. Second Order: The Nobility linked to king by the system of vassalage formed second order. As vassals of king the Nobility promised to remain loyal to king, administer their territory, raise troops called feudal levies and render military service to king when called upon to do so. For maintenance and the services rendered by noble, the king made a grant of “fief”. By virtue of being the landowners, the nobility enjoyed privileged status and played central role in social processes. They lived in their Manor-House. Within the manorial estate, he was lord of all people settled on his land and exercised immense administrative, police and judicial authority. The agrarian society was dominated by feudal lords, land was cultivated by peasants both free and serfs.
3. Third Order: the peasants who formed the most populous section of society and lowest in class hierarchy formed the third order. The cultivators were divided into three categories.
i. Free Holders: Who received their land from lord but instead of working unpaid for lord they paid taxes to lord. They had to render military services to lord for minimum 40 days in a year.
ii. The Vileins: Those who gave a part of produce of their own land to their lord and worked on lord’s field and to look after their own fields formed the second category.
iii. The Serfs: The serfs formed the most numerous categories that besides working on their own field’s, cultivated the land of lord (three days a week) and gave unpaid services to lord. They were tied to the land which they can’t leave without lord’s permission. Most of their personal decisions like marriage were also decided by lord.
Q: Discuss the factors that affected the social and economic relations between 11th to 13th centuries in Europe?
Ans: The Environment, land use and new agricultural Technology affected social and economic relations in Europe between 11th to 13th centuries.
A. The Environment: before 11th century in Europe there were severe and prolonged winters, vast forests and limited agricultural land. However from 11th century Europe entered into a warm phase. Increased average temperatures had a profound impact on agriculture. Peasants now had longer growing seasons; soil was less subjected to frost hence easily ploughed. This made possible the agricultural expansion.
B. The Land Use: the primitive agricultural technology like ineffective crop rotation and wooden plough was labor intensive. Since it was not possible to increase the output from land, peasants were forced to spend more in bringing more land under cultivation. The peasants resorted to passive resistance by spending more time in cultivating their own fields.
C. New Agricultural Technology: From 11th century the new agricultural technology like plough with iron tips to dig deeper and soil nutrients were better utilized. The neck harnessing of animals was replaced by shoulder harnessing. Wind and water energy was utilized for corn grinding and grapes pressing. Further two field patterns was replaced by three field pattern in which two fields were planted and third was left follow to regain fertility.
These technological changes led to increase in agricultural production per unit of land. Food availability doubled, Protein content in diet increased, besides increase in quantity and quality of fodder for animals. Thus from 11th century feudalism weakened and there was greater use of money transactions.
Q: Which factors led to peasant unrest/revolts in 14th century? What were its consequences?
Ans: The peasant unrest of 14th century was due to several factors like severe shortage in food due to climatic change and over population. The chronic food shortage led to outbreak of famine and starvation to deaths. Further, the Bubonic Plague of 1347-50 caused death to about 1/5th of European population that is why it is often called Black Death.
Famines, starvation and Plagues led to depopulation and shortage of labor which in turn led to rise in wages while prices of agricultural produce fell due to few buyers. This had an adverse impact on income of lords. To make up for the losses the lords to resorted to extensive coercion and tried to revive labor services instead of money contracts. The peasants put up strong resistance and refused to pay dues. Sometimes peasants put up organized revolts like Great Peasant revolt of France in 1458 and Peasant revolt of England in 1481. Though the revolts were crushed, but they played significant role in undermining the feudal privileges and weakened serfdom.
Q: Discuss the growth of towns. Did it represent the Fourth Order?
Ans: The emergence of feudalism was accompanied by decline in trade and towns because the economic base of feudalism was agrarian centered on Manorial estate. However the situation began to change from 11th century due to agricultural expansion, growth in population and decline of feudalism. The peasants with surplus searched places where they can sell their surplus agricultural produce and buy tools and cloth in exchange. This formed the basis of rise of money economy. There was growth in fairs and small marketing centre’s
which eventually developed into towns. These towns offered opportunity for freedom, paid work and paid taxes instead of unpaid services. They provided unskilled labor in towns. Apart from peasants and serfs, there were numerous shopkeepers and merchants and people with specialized skills like lawyers and bankers. Thus, the town’s population represented a large and distinct group that they could even be called as 4th order.
Q. Discuss briefly the causes of decline of feudalism?
Ans: The institution of feudalism flourished all across Europe from 9th to 14th centuries. Thereafter the signs of decline of Feudalism were visible. The main reasons of decline were:
a. Demographic changes, shortage of labour and rise in wages.
b. Emergence of nation states in Europe.
c. Rise of Middle class and cities with money economy.
d. Mutual fights of feudal lords.
e. Rise of towns and circulation of money.
Q: Imagine and describe a day in the life of a craftsman in a medieval French town?
Ans: In Medieval France majority of the people belonged to Third order including craftsman. Compared to free peasants and serfs, craftsmen in French towns were free from lords control. In order to become a master craftsman one has to be apprentice to learn various skills of craft, from the master craftsman for about seven years. He then becomes journeyman to earn wages and after the display of master skills he joins the guild of the town. Prior to 12th century a craftsman moved from manor to manor. However as towns emerged and commerce grow they settled in one place where goods could be exchanged for food and money.
Each master craftsman like weaver of cloth, potter, bowyer, carpenter, mason or brick layer, blacksmith etc was a member of guild. Guilds guarded the interests of the craftsman, regulated quality and prices of products, wages and working conditions of craftsman, prevented unfair practices. Compared to peasants in rural areas, town’s air made the craftsman free.
Q: What was Taille?
Ans: It was direct tax imposed by king on peasants arbitrarily whenever king wanted more resources.
Q: Who was vassal?
Ans: The vassal was one who owed allegiance and recognized authority of the over lord. Q: What was Tithe?
Ans: Tithe was a tax paid by peasants to church at the rate of 1/10th of gross produce. Q: Who were the Friars?
Ans: Friars were the monks who moved from place to place to preach the message of God instead of permanent stay in Monasteries. They lived on Charity.
Q: Who were minstrels?
Ans: Minstrels were travelling bards in 12th century France. They travelled from manor to manor singing songs which were partly historical and partly stories of kings and Knights.
Q: What were Cathedrals?
Ans: The large Church’s in France from 12th century were called as Cathedrals. Over the timethey became centers of pilgrimage and small towns developed around them.
Q. Who were Serfs?
Ans: The serfs formed the most numerous categories that besides working on their own field’s, cultivated the land of lord (three days a week) and gave unpaid services to lord. They were tied to the land which they can’t leave without lord’s permission. Most of their personal decisions like marriage were also decided by lord.
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