The Feudal System

Question 1

What was the knew system like ? List the four people in order ?

Answer 1

The king
Tenants in chief
Knights
Villeins

Question 2

What where villeins ? How did their work actually work

Answer 2

Ordinary farm workers
They weren’t free to travel or work
Had to stay on the land and work for their local lord
- worked 2-3 days a week on their local knights land (demesne)

Question 3

Who where the knights and how did they work ?

Answer 3

• they did military service for their lords (tenants in chief) so they made up the qouta in their armies
• knights gave most of their land to the villeins apart from a part for themselves called a demsne

Question 4

Who where the tenants in chief and how did they work ?

Answer 4

• they gave their land to the knights so they could make income
• in return for their land from the king they would bring men to fight for him, the more land a tenant had the more soldiers

Question 5

What was the aim with the feudal system ?

Answer 5

To provide William with an army

Question 6

How did William divvy out the land ?

Answer 6

Since he owned all the land he gave some to his supporters called tenants in chief
They didn’t own it but he was happy for them to occupy it

Question 7

Who where some tenants in chief ?

Answer 7

The kings half brother Robert and Bishop Odo
Many bishops and abbots as the church held some land

Question 8

What happened if a tenant in chief died ?

Answer 8

Their son didn’t automatically inherit the land as it belonged to the king
However most of the time the heir to the land got it provided he performed an act of homage and payed the king tax

Question 9

What did the tenants in chief had to do in return for the land ?

Answer 9

Had to bring knights to serve and to garrison the kings castles for 40 days a year
It was reliable and a faster way of getting troops rather than highering mercenaries

Question 10

What did the system on tenants in chiefs rely on ?

Answer 10

Relied on them remaining loyal
If they rebelled their land would be taken in something called a forfeiture

Question 11

What did the knights have to do ?

Answer 11

They had to do homage to their lord and knight service
- serve him for 40 days
In return they would receive fief which is all their land and there part called a demesne