Writing assignment: Answer two of the following questions.
(1) Describe the ninth- and tenth-century invasions. Apart from the physical destruction involved, how did they affect life in the West?
(2) Describe feudalism and manorialism.
(3) What changes did William the Conqueror introduce in England?
I’ll be answering the second and third question.
Feudalism: the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord’s land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.
Manorialism: a system of economic, social, and political organization based on the medieval manor in which a lord enjoyed a variety of rights over land and tenants.
He gave lots of land to the Norman nobles. He also kept tracts of land for himself. He also introduced the Domesday Book that kept records of economic information from around the realm.
Leave a Reply