The tie binding a lord and his vassal was declared in a public ceremony. In return, the lord protected the vassal. suhl) was a lower-ranking noble who served a lord.A lord was a high-ranking noble who had power over others. In time of trouble his wooden blockhouse or stone castle served as a refuge for both the villagers and their flocks.įeudalism was based on ties of loyalty and duty among members of the nobility. People naturally sought the protection of their nearest powerful neighbor. Lacking a strong central government, each district had to look out for itself. People were at the mercy of invaders and marauding bandits. In the south Mohammedans terrorized the coasts of Italy and France. From the north came Scandinavian pirates-the Northmen, or Vikings. Money almost disappeared, making it impossible for kings to pay their officials and soldiers. The roads and bridges the Romans had built eventually fell into decay. He was crowned Holy Roman emperor in 800, but when he died there was no strong ruler to take his place. Charlemagne, king of the Franks, tried to build a Christian empire modeled on that of Rome. The kings warred constantly with one another. On the ruins of the Roman Empire there arose small barbarian kingdoms. This date or 500 is commonly taken as marking the end of ancient times and the beginning of the Middle Ages. In 476 the Western Roman Empire came to an end. In 410 Rome fell to Alaric, a Visigoth chieftain. There was great confusion during the barbarian invasions, which began at the end of the 4th century. Its beginnings can be traced to the breakup of the ancient Roman Empire. Feudalism grew up in an age of disorder, when the central government was helpless to protect the people.
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