The Nature Of Feudalism Flashcards
What is meant by paying homage?
All landholders had to pay homage to their Lord by swearing an oath of loyalty in a public ceremony. Then the landholder became the vassal and had to provide service. If the oath was broken, land was forfeited or the vassal was punished by death.
What is meant by forfeiture?
When a vassal failed to provide service or committed a crime, the oath was broken and his land was forfeit. The land was taken away and then could be granted to someone else as a reward for their loyalty. This helped maintain the feudal hierarchy and the king’s power.
What was knight service?
Knight service ensured the King had an army. The amount of land held by a tenant-in-chief determined the amount of knights owed to the King. Some barons payed scutage instead of providing Knights
What are the features of knight service?
Serving in the king’s army for 2 months per year
Guarding their lord’s or the king’s castles for up to 40 days per year
Raising money to pay transom of their Lord if he was captured during battle
What was labour service?
It 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.
What are the features of labour service?
‘Week-work’- working on the lord’s land on certain days every week, doing jobs such as looking after animals, sowing crops and ploughing land
‘Boon-work’-working on the lord’s land gathering in the harvest
