The Three Orders

Early feudal society in France was characterized by:

• The Lord-Vassal Relationship: This was the central political bond. A noble (vassal) accepted a grant of land (fief) from a senior noble or the King (lord) in exchange for a formal pledge of loyalty and military service.
• The Manorial System: Economically, society was organized around the manor. Peasants (serfs) worked on the lord’s land (demesne), giving him labor and a share of the produce in return for physical protection and the right to cultivate a small plot for their own sustenance.

Population fluctuations had drastic effects on the feudal structure:

• Growth Phase (11th-13th Century): Improved climate and agricultural technology led to a population boom. This caused the expansion of arable land into forests, the revival of towns, and the growth of trade.
• Crisis Phase (14th Century): The Black Death and famines caused a massive population drop. This led to a severe labor shortage, forcing lords to increase wages or relax feudal bonds to keep workers. It ultimately weakened the feudal system and empowered the peasantry.

Rise: Knights emerged in the 9th century because local wars were frequent, and amateur peasant-soldiers were insufficient. Lords needed skilled cavalry. They gave knights land (fiefs) to support their training and expensive equipment.

Decline: They began to decline by the 15th century due to:

• Military Technology: The introduction of gunpowder and cannons made heavy armor and castle walls less effective.
• Political Changes: Kings began to create standing armies with professional infantry, reducing their reliance on feudal levies of knights.

Monasteries served multiple critical functions beyond religion:

• Spiritual: They were places of prayer and worship for monks/nuns who chose to withdraw from society to devote their lives to God.
• Cultural & Educational: They preserved classical knowledge by copying manuscripts and running schools for children.
• Social Welfare: They provided inns for travelers and hospitals/charity for the poor and sick.
• Economic: Many monasteries became large land-owners and centers of agricultural production and craft.

A typical day for a medieval craftsman would involve:

• Guild Regulation: He would belong to a “guild” which strictly controlled the quality, price, and method of production of his goods.
• Workshop Life: He would work in his own home, which doubled as a workshop, assisted by apprentices (learners) and journeymen (paid workers).
• Structure: His day would be regulated by church bells. He would likely sell his goods directly to customers from a shop front attached to his home.
• Social Status: As a skilled worker in a town, he was a free man (“Town air makes free”), liberated from the feudal duties that bound rural serfs.

Feature	Roman Slave	French Serf
Legal Status	Considered “property” or a “tool with a voice.” Had absolutely no rights.	Bound to the land but not a slave. Could not be sold individually away from the land.
Family Life	Masters controlled their family life; family members could be sold separately.	Lived with families in peasant huts; masters generally respected the family unit.
Labor	Worked entirely for the master; received only food/shelter.	Worked on the lord’s land (labor rent) but also had a designated plot to grow food for themselves.
Freedom	Could be manumitted (freed) by the master at will.	Legally unfree, but could gain freedom by escaping to a town and living there for “one year and one day.”