Notes From Today

• The Feudal Compact

• Feudalism is a term used by historians to describe the governmental system and the relationships between landowners and warriors.
• Warriors, known as knights, would pledge his allegiance to a lord, who would in turn give that knight land
• The lord would grant a fief (property) to the knight, who would then become the lord's vassal (servant)- this was called the "feudal compact"
• The vassal mush fight for the lord when he needs it and attend his court once a month

• Homage and Knighthood

• A vassal was required to pay homage to his lord, usually this meant kneeling down and taking the lord's hands in his while speaking an oath of loyalty
• Men were apprenticed to older knights before they could become a full knight themselves
• When a knight died, his fief would revert to his son, though his lord would be protector of that son if he was underage, or if it was a daughter

• The Feudalization of the Church

• Some clergy were known to fight as knights themselves

• Feudal States

• Barons were lords of large territories who usually paid homage to a king
• Often a baron's army could outnumber that of a king, which kept a check on the king's power

• The Manorial Estate

• Medieval society was divided into three "estates": the clergy, the nobility, and the common people
• Usually the peasantry farmed on large plantations known as "manors" which were owned by a lord or a lady of a nobility (or a member of the clergy)
• Iron plows and water-powered grinding mills helped with agricultural production, by the yield was still minuscule by today's standards
• To maintain the health of the soil, the "three-field system" was used where two fields were planed (one in fall, one in spring) and one field was left to reconstitute its fertility- then they were rotated
• Villages spring up on and around manors with small cottages for the peasants and a large manor house for the lord and lady

• The People of the Manor

• The lord oversaw major agricultural issues but delegated everyday overseeing to his stewards or bailiffs
• The lady of the house ran household operations, oversaw servants, entertained guests, and ran the manor when her husband was away
• Most peasants were serfs, meaning they were bound to the land and to their lords for "labor services" a few days each week
• The surfs were responsible for the "internal colonization" of Europe, that is that cultivating and settling of previously uninhabited land

• The Growth of Trade

• The agricultural book after 1000 allowed for the establishment of many towns across Europe
• Farm produce and animals were sold in towns and people with wealth bought their luxury items there
• Items like spices and silks came overland from port cities like Venice and Genoa, who received the good from eastern capitals like Constantinople
• Europeans extorted wool, linen, horses, weaponry, and slaves, to name a few
• England and the Low Countries were particularly known for their trade in wool and cloth

• The Location and Appearance of Towns

• Most medieval towns were surrounded by fortified walls
• Residences also sprang up outside the walls in the suburbs
• Towns were dominated by a main church and a central marketplace
• Buildings for the craft guilds and the wealthiest families would also be in the center of the town

• The Life of Townspeople

• Though townspeople were free, unlike serfs, they still had a hierarch: merchants at the top, then skilled craftsmen and artisans, then unskilled laborers and apprentices

• The Guilds

• Merchants, craftsmen, and artisans formed their own groups called guilds which regulated their trade and protected its members
• Craftsmen were classified as masters, journeymen, and apprentices
• One became a master after spending years learning as an apprentice, working as a paid journeyman for a number of years, and completing his "masterpiece"

Quiz X2

Yesterday in class, we learned more stuff.  I honestly forget what we did.  I know that we got our pop quizzes back and somehow, Damian and Nick got 100% and Kishan didn't.  I finally got my first 100% in Mr. Schick's class.  After we got our quizzes back, we had to take another quiz.  I know for a fact that I didn't get 100% on that one.  I really need to try and get my grade up because I am almost failing Western Civ.

Failing, Yet Again!

Today in class, we took a test.  I'm pretty sure that I failed yet another test!

Notes I Took in Class Today

Roots

It all begins with Jesus

• Most of what we know of Jesus comes from the "Gospels" of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
• "Gospel" means "good news"

• Jesus was a Jewish itinerant preacher in Judea who set himself apart from other "Messiahs"

• Jesus taught that one must strive for perfection since God was perfect, and Jesus sought out the imperfect society

• Jesus' followers believed he was the "Messiah" who had come to end the world and bring the truly faithful into the Kingdom of God

• Jesus was believed to be both man and the son of God; both human and divine
• Jesus was deemed a threat to Roman rule and was crucified, though his followers believed he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven

• The followers of Jesus who attempted to spread the word of his teachings were known as apostles

Start Spreading the News

• Paul of Tarsus was a Jew who became a follower of Jesus after a miraculous vision on the road to Damascus
• Paul talked of "predestination" which meant that God chose who was to be saved and who was to be damned
• Paul was well-travelled, he helped found churches in many places, and he kept in though with these new Christians by letters (Corinth, Thessalonia, Rome, and Ephesus)

The Pax Romana

Today in class, we took a test.  When we finished, we were supposed to complete the assignment on Mr. Schick’s blog.  All we had to do was read about Christianity during the Pax Romana.  This week, I am going to try to do all of my blogs because I have to bring my grade up.  I ended up getting a 70% on the test we took today and I am not very happy with my grade.  I am excited to see what I get on my paper.  The end of class was really funny because Mr. Schick read us the titles of everyone’s papers and over half of them were titled “The Pax Romana.”  I am really happy that Mr. Schick is letting us use our computers during class this semester.  I feel like I take betters notes on my computer than in my notebook.  I am now regretting that I didn’t do the “Rome” extra credit because I really need to bring my grade up!

Wet Shoes

Today in class, we finished the movie/show.  Tiberius ended up dying by getting beaten to death with a chair.  After we finished, Mr. Schick put a power point on the screen and talked and talked and talked.  I was kind of boring.  Tiberius tried to make himself king and then he died.  He liked breaking the rules and his mother didn’t like the way he was acting.  There was a creepy senator that kept complaining about Tiberius.  In the middle of class, we had a fire drill and my shoes got all wet.  It was really gross.

No Internet :(

Last night my internet was down at my house, so I couldn’t post my blog. 

Yesterday in class, we watched more of the movie/TV show.  Mr. Schick yelled at Olivia.  She sits right in front of me and when he yelled, it scared both of us.  Right before class ended, we got to watch a lady get hit in the face with poop.  In the middle of class, we watched somebody kill a baby cow and it was really gross.  Mr. Schick says that he wants a mask thingy in his house like the one in the show.