Evening Star Newspaper, September 9, 1928, Page 114

= e T HIGH LIG EARL\I INTHE MIDDLE AGES THE KINGS OF THE NATIONS . OF EUROPE GRANTED VAST ESTATES | 7O NOBLES OF HIGH RANK IN RETURN FOR PLEPGES OF LOYALTY AND SUPPORT. . THESE NOBLES ( THE DUKES, COUNTS AND EARLS) 1N TURN | GRANTED PORTIONS OF THEIR LANDS TO KNIGHTS OF LESSER | DEGREE ON SIMILAR TERMS. | THIS ARRANGEMENT WAS | CALLED THE FEUPDAL SYSTEM, ATRACT OF LAND THUS GRANTED WAS.CALLED A'FIEF -~ THE KNIGHT RECEIVING A GRANT Y From ALORD BECAME A “JASSAL" OF THAT LORD, ALSO BOUNP TO CONTRIBUTE MONEY TO THE LORD AT THREE TIMES; - WHEN THE LORDS ELDESTSON WAS MADE A KNIGHT,— WHEN THE LORDS DAUGHTER WAS MARRIED, AND WHEN THE LORD WAS CAPTURED AND HELD> FOR RANSOM, MANOR opfl T™™E MIDPLE AGES B3 e peasanTs TiLLED TeE FIELS OF THE ‘MANDOR. THE FIELDS WERE DIVIDED INTO STRIPS . EACH PEASANT HAD SEVERAL STRIPS FOR HIS OWN USE . OTHER STRIPS WERE RESERVED FOR THE KNIGHT AND THE CHURCH. . e SociaL ScALE IN THE MIDDLE AGES. A 8 ! QA EHE?E WAS A SPECIAL CEREMONY BY WHICH A MAN BECAME AVASSAL. FIRST, KNEELING, HE PUT HIS HANDS BETWEEN THOSE OF THE LORD, SIGNI- FYING THAT HE WAS THE LORPS MAN.’ HE VASSAL IKNIGHT INTURN HOMAGE AND THE OATH OF FIDELITY FROM THE PEASANTS OR "SERFS" WHO LIVED UPON HIS OWN LANDS. OME OF THE PEASANTS WERE "FREEMEN" BUT MOST WERE 'SERFS " THE SERFS COULP NOT LEAVE THE MANOR,NOR MARRY WITHOUT THE KNIGHTS CONSENT,TF THE MANOR CHANGED HANDS THEY WENT WITH IT. DUKES,COUNTS, EARLS - | CARDINALS -ARCHBISHOPS. MERCHANTS-L DOCTORS-PRIE y BT e AWYERS STS. 2 | SOLDIERS-FREE ‘f‘ (1] FARMERS - S OF HIOY Chapter 96 —Th E3H1s AcT wAS CALLED RENDER- ING"HOMAGE". NEXT, HE SWORE TO FAITHFULLY FULFILL HIS OBLIGATIONS TO HIS LORD. I LB HE IKNIGHTS ESTATE WAS CALLED A"VIL" OR"MANOR', AND> ALL THE PEASANTS DWELLING THERE WERE KNOWN AS “"VILLEISS ORVILLAINS: THE KNIGHT ANDAZIS FAMILY LIVED IN THE MZAROR HousSE. i, <=4 i (& THE oTHER HANDTHE LAND THEY TILLED COUL> NEVER BE TAKEN FROM THEM AS LONG AS THEY CULTI- VATED IT AND PAI[> THEIR MASTER FOR ITS USE WITH A PORTION OF THEIR LABOR AND CROPS. — - If You Save This Page Each Week You Will Have a Complete History of LORD AND HIS LADY. -1I™ CENTURY - HE CHIEF DUTY TOWHICH A VASSAL PLEDGED HIMSELF WASTO SERVE HIS LORD IN TIME OF WAR. HE ALSO AGREED TO COME TO THE LORPS CASTLE WHENEVER SUMMONED, A CLUSTER OF BUILDINGS,~ A CHURCH,AMILL ANDTHE RUDE HOMES OF THE PEASANTS,~ WHICH WAS CALLED THE “VILLAGE NEXT CHAPTER — GLIMPSES OF LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES. _— O E LIFE OF A SERF WAS HARD,AND SOMETIMES SERFS RAN AWAY FROM THE MANOR.IN THE 127TH CENTURY IF A FUGITIVE SERF WAS NOT CAUGHT WITHIN A YEAR AND A DAY HE BECAME LEGALLY FREE. l Man.