History - King John and Richard I

• Feudal System 


  From 1189 to 1216, the dominant feature of English society, especially in the countryside was the feudal system. Each rank of feudal hierarchy was granted land from above in return for loyalty and providing services. The king was at the top, with vast power over the whole system.
• King


  The king was extremely powerful. He owned all of the land in England but granted most of it to his tenants-in-chief. It was his duty to protect his people from invasion and enforce his laws.
• Tenants-in-chief


  They were vassals to the king. They were nobles and important clergy such as Bishops. In return for their fief, they paid homage and provided knight service to the king. The most powerful nobles and clergy were called barons, who advised the king and helped govern England. They granted some of their land to under-tenants.
• Under-tenants


  They were vassals to the tenants-in-chief. They were knights and lesser clergy. In return for their fief, they paid homage and provided knight service to their lord. They grnted some of their land to the peasants. Most knights were lords of a manor.
• Free men


  Allowed to travel and work whenever they wanted. They were craftsmen, farmers and merchants. They had to obey and pay rent to their lord, who could be a tenant-in-chief, under-tenant or the king himself. They sometimes worked on the lord's land but they were paid for this service.
• Unfree Peasants


  They provided labor service to their lord in return for his protection, sheleter and a small strip of land that would provide food for their families. Lords could buy and sell them, they were not allowed to leave without permission. Some peasants were free (not bound to the land) but most chose to not leave their local lord.
• Landholding

  The king kept 20% of the land of England for himself, farming, hunting and renting out. Most of the rest (approx 55%) was run by other nobles, barons and knights. The remaining land was run by the church, which made the church very wealthy.
• Paying homage


  All landholders had to pay homage to their lords by swearing an oath of loyalty. This oath was sworn in a public ceremony. Once it had be sworn, the landholder became the vassal of his lord and had to provide service to him. If a vassal broke his oath, he could be punished by forefeiture or even death
• Forefeiture 


  If a vassal failed to provide service to his lord, or committed a crime, his oath was considered broken, and his land was forefeit (the lord took it away). The land could then be granted to someone else as a reward for their loyalty. This helped maintain the feudal hierarchy and the king's power.
• Knight service 


  Knight service ensured that the king had an army to protect his kingdom. The amount of land held by a tenant-in-chief determined how many knights he owed the the king. Some barons were allowed to pay scutage to the king instead of providig knights.
• Labor service 


  This was the work that unfree peasants were expected to do on their lord's land. It helped ensure that enough food and other essential items, like wool for clothing, was produced to provide for everyone in the country.
• Duties of knight service


  > Serving in the king's army for two months per year

  > Raising money to pay the ransom of their lord he was captured during battle.

  > Guarding castles of their Lord or the king for up to 40 days per year
• Duties of labor service

  > 'Boon-work' - working on the lord's land gathering in the harvest

  > 'Week-work' - working on the lord's land on certain days every week, doing jobs such as looking after animals, sowing crops, ploughing land.
• Role and influence of the Church

  The Church had enormous influence in medieval society. It owned land and property. Everyone was expected to go to Mass and had to give the Church a percentage of their produce.
• The importance of Religion

  Most people believed that God controlled everything and would decided whether they went to hell or heaven. Therefore, pleasing God was vital, and the Church told people how to do this. The Church was an international organization. Its structure, like the feudal system, was based on hierarchy. The head was the Pope, in Rome
• The importance of Religion pt 2

  As God's representative on Earth, the Pope had huge authority, even over kings. He authorized the appointment of archbishops. Archbishops chose their Bishops, but the king also had a say over who became an archbishop or bishop. This could cause conflict between kings and the Pope. Another potential problem for kings was that clergy were more likely to be loyal to the Pope than to the king if the Pope and the king disagreed
• Influence of the Church - Spiritual

  The clergy, who dedicated their lives to God, guided and taught people to live according to Church teachings - which included accepting the nature feudalism, therefore helping to control society. Clergy performed daily services, including Mass, in all villages and towns in England. They also performed baptisms, marriages and funerals.
• Influence of Church - Economic


  The Church was very wealth: it earned money from rent and profits from agriculture on its land; people frequently donated money and land to the Church or left money in their wills; everyone paid a tithe (a tenth of their produce) to the Church every year.
• Influence of Church - Economicpt 2 


  As a major landholder, the church had many vassals and employees. Therefore, many people depended on the Church for their land, food and employment. The church was an important source of money for the king, as it paid taxes to him on the money earned from its land. The king relied on this income, which gave the church influence over the king.
• Influence of Church - Political

  As tenants-in-chief and under-tenants, members of the clergy provided knight service for the king. Important churchmen, along with the barons, were leading members of government and advised the king. Many clergy were well educated , and became clerks in important households, including the king's. The king, like all Catholics, was under the authority of the pope, who could therefore influence the king's policies and actions.
• Influence of Church - Social

  Priests and monks taught people to read and write, and some church buildings housed large collections of books. Monasteries, nunneries and parish priests looked after the elderly, poor and sick. Many churchmen played major roles in law courts and the Church kept collections of the laws.