THE FEUDAL SYSTEM The ?
1
were called fiefs. When a king died, his son became the owner of the fiefs.
The 2
looked after the king's land. They ruled large fiefs. They paid tax
to the king and sometimes helped him in wars and battles. These people were less
important than the king in the hierarchy but very important in the local community
2
Nobles usually employed?
to help protect their fiefs. They were often heroes
because they were strong and brave, especially in battles. They always helped the king
when he
asked them and protected him. Most of them were men, but some were women.
3
About 90% of people in the Middle Ages were 4
... They were at the bottom of the
hierarchy
. They didn't have land or money like the other members of society. They worked on
the land for the nobles, growing food and looking after animals. They paid taxes to the nobles
and worked all day. Life was very hard for these people.
and some people lived or worked on the land. This system was called the feudal system. It was
In Europe in the Middle Ages - from the 5th to the 15th century - some people owned land
was at the top of the feudal system. He owned too much land to look after by himself so
he divided it up, and gave some of it to people called 'nobles' to rule for him. These different areas of land