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In this blog I will detail the social class of medieval europe that you will need to know about if you are going to travel to medieval europe. This is not a blog about why you should this is purely informational on what you need to know and look out for.

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Feudalism is 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.

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A king or Queen ruled large areas of land. To protect his land from invasion, the king gave parts of it to local lords, who were called vassals. In return, his vassals promised to fight to defend the king's land.

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The Clergy in the Middle Ages were very important and influential in the society. Some even had a great deal of power politically. The clergy in the Middle Ages were exempted from paying taxes because they were giving services to their parishioners and also provided spiritual satisfaction and care. They were the mediators between God and men.

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Serfs lived in small communities called manors that were ruled by a local lord or vassal. Most peasants were serfs. They were bound to the manor and could not leave it or marry without the manor lord's permission. Serfs did all the work on the manor farm: they worked the fields, cared for the livestock, built and maintained the buildings, made the clothing, and cut firewood. Men, women, and children worked side by side. Serfs had small plots of land they could work for themselves; sometimes a serf saved enough money to buy his freedom and became a freeman.

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Knights were warriors who fought on horseback. In return for land, they pledged themselves as vassals to the king. Only the sons of lords could become knights. Candidates for knighthood began training as pages at the age of 7, learning social graces and skills such as fencing and hunting. At 13 or 14 they became squires and began to practice fighting on horseback. Squires served as assistants to knights both in the castle and on the battlefield. At 21 a squire could become a knight himself, kneeling before the lord of the manor to be "dubbed" on the shoulder with a sword. Kings, local lords, and knights were all part-of a ruling class that called itself noblemen.

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The Black Plague - A new disease running through Europe that has been wiping out people in the thousands.

Vikings - Invaders from the water that have been taking out villages and town in one fail swoop and is leaving no survivors.

High Taxes - Because of the social system people have to pay very high taxes to the lords that protect them if they continue to pay.

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The pope is the ultimate Clergy in that he is the head of the Roman Catholic Church and the leader of the entire religious system. The Pope in many cases is higher than the King or Queen in Feudal Europe.

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In Medieval England, the Church dominates everybody’s life. All Medieval people – be they village peasants or townspeople – believe that God, Heaven and Hell all exist. From the very earliest of ages, the people were taught that the only way they get to Heaven was if the Roman Catholic Church let them. Everybody has been terrified of Hell and the people would have been told of the sheer horrors awaiting for them in Hell in the weekly services they attended.

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Vassals ruled lands granted to them by their king. Those lands were called fiefs. Within a fiefs, a vassal acted as a local lord and could give portions of it to vassals of his own. Someone might be the vassal of one person, but the lord of another.