All SaiNTs school

Subject: History
Class : XI E
Theme : 4 Three Order

Made by :Ms. Nisha

Very short Question Answer

Q1. How was western European society divided?
Ans. Western European society was divided into three estates. These were:
(a) The Clergy
(b) The Nobility
(c) The Peasantry
Q2. What was Tithe ?
Ans. Tithe was a kind of tax collected by the church from the peasants in France. It w 1/10th of
the total produce.
Q3. What do you know about Friars?
Ans. Friars were a group of monks who moved from place to place, preaching to the people and
living on earth.
Q4. What was Taille?
Ans. Taille was a kind of tax collected by the kings from the peasants.
Q5. Write a few restrictions that were imposed on the serfs.
Ans. Following restrictions were imposed on the serfs.
(a) The serf can't leave the estate without the prior permission of their masters of lords.
(b) They were prohibited from offering their prayers in the church.
(c) They did not enjoy the right of education.
Q6. What were the duties of the serfs?
Ans. (i) The serfs had to do forced labour.
(ii) The serfs had to serve in their lord's army for 40 days in a year.
Q7 What was the basis of economic organisation?
Ans. The basis of economic organisation was the guild.
Q8. Discuss a few advantages of feudal system.
Ans. Advantages of feudal system:
 It established law and order system.
 It set up an efficient administrative system.
 It put a check on the power of the absolute monarch
Q.9 What were the drawbacks of feudal system?
Ans. Drawbacks of feudal system:
 It weakened the monarchial system.
 It hampered the process of national unity and integration.
Q10 What was the position of Pope in the medieval Europe?
Ans. The Pope enjoyed a respectable position in the society during the medieval period in
Europe. He was considered to be the spiritual representative of Jesus Christ. He interfered into
the internal affairs of the Christian kings and their subjects. Nobody could dare to challenge the
authority of Pope.

SHORT QUESTIONS ANSWERS

Q.1What do you understand by manor? Describe in brief.
 Ans. The noble enjoyed a special status in the society. He had a complete control over ha
property. He was the lord of all the people settled on his land.
 He vast tract of land which had its own dwellings, private fields, and pastures. His house
was called manor.
 Peasants cultivated his private lands. Whenever required in battle they were also
expected to act as foot soldiers.

Q2 Discuss the categories of cultivators under feudalism during the medieval Europe.
Ans. There were two categories cultivators in the feudal system, during the age in Europe age in
They were free peasants and serfs.
(1)Free Peasants: They held their farms as tenants of the lord. This category of peasants did not
work for their lords.
(2)Serfs: Serfs were the lowest category of peasants. They were just like slaves of their masters.
They had not only to work on the fields of their lords and gave them a part of their produce but
also to perform such petty jobs as building or repairing their houses, roads, etc. They received
no wages. They were not allowed to leave the state without the permission of their lord

Q3 What is the political importance of the feudal system?

Ans . Political importance of the feudal system:

 Nobles provided protection to their people.

 They also maintained peace and harmony in their regions.
 The feeling of mutual understanding and co-operation among the people was also
created.
 Through manorial system, the feudal lords provided economic provision.
Q 4 How did plague affect trade and cities?
Ans. With the expansion of trade in the 13th and 14th centuries, ships carrying goods from
distant countries had started arriving in European ports. Rats came along with ships carrying
away the infection of bubonic plague. After the outbreak of plague, cities became the hardest
hit. In enclosed communities like monasteries, when one individual contracted the plague none
survived.
 The plague took its worst toll among infants, the young and the elderly.
 As the horrible impact of plague the population of Europe, 73 millions in 1300, stood
reduced to 45 millions in 1400.
 Depopulation caused the shortage of labour. Imbalance was created between
agriculturalists and manufacturers.
Q.5 Discuss the impact of environment on European agriculture.
 Ans. The entire Europe was covered with huge and dense forests between fifth to tenth
centuries. It was but natural that there was less land available for agriculture.
 The conditions of peasants were miserable. Now they started to take refuge in the
forest.
 There was cold climatic condition in entire Europe. The yield of the crops reduced to a
large extent.
 But in 11th century, climatic conditions of Europe changed. It entered into a warm
phase. Average temperatures increased. It had a huge impact on agriculture.
  There was longer growing seasons for the agriculturists. Fertility of the soil also
increased and hence, the production naturally increased
Q6 . Knights became a distinct group under medieval European society. Why?
 Ans. From the 9th century, there were frequent localised wars among different factions.
Amateur soldiers were not sufficient. There was the need of good cavalry.
 Thereafter, a new section of people-the Knights grew. They were linked with the lords
 . The lord gave the knight a piece of land, i.e. fief. It extended between 1,000 and 2,000
acres or more.
 It also comprised a house for the knight and his family, a church and other
establishments to house his dependants.
 The knight paid his lord a regular fee and promised for him to fight in war. In this way,
the knights became a distinct group in the medieval European society.
Q7 Discuss in detail about the emergence of cathedrals.
 Ans. From 12th century, large churches were built in France. They were known as
cathedrals. These belonged to monasteries.
 Various groups of people contributed a lot to their construction in the form of labour,
material and money. Alongwith it, the rich merchants also spent money by making
donations to churches.
 Cathedrals took many years in their completion. After their completion, they became the
centres of pilgrimage. Small towns also grew a lot.
 The speciality of the design of cathedrals was that the voice of priest could be clearly
heard within the hall where a number of people gathered. Their voice could be heard
even from a far off distance. For windows stained glass was used. During the day, the
sunlight would make them radiant for people inside the cathedral, and after sunset the
light candles would make them visible to people outside.
 The stained glass windows narrated the stories in the Bible through pictures, which even
the illiterate people could read.
Q8 What were the causes that led to the decline of feudalism in Europe?
Ans. From the eighth to twelfth century CE, feudalism prospered in Europe. There was a steep
decline of feudalism in Europe. The following causes led to its downfall:
 Rise of the powerful monarchies: Powerful monarchies paved the way for the decline of
feudalism. It rose in France, Spain and England.
 Rise of nationalism: Education spread in the nation. The spread of education, aroused
the spirit of nationalism among the educated middle class. But the feudal lords were
quite opposed to nationalism. That was why the educated people turned against
feudalism. They could not tolerate its existence. They were to the side of their ruler and
not with the lords. The result was that rulers became more and more powerful.
  Rise of the middle class: New inventions encouraged trade and industry. The result was
the emergence of the middle class in towns and cities. The middle class desired peace
for the promotion of commerce, industry and crafts. They wanted to get rid of the
nobles who were always engaged in constant wars.

Long Question Answer

Q1. Why do you think the people of new towns were considered of fourth order? Explain.
Ans. The people of new towns were considered of fourth order because of the following.
 These newly flourished towns were developed with the fair and small marke centres, as
a result of expansion of trade.
 The social and the political conditions of the people were totally different from the
people who belonged to the former three orders. (iii) There were banks and lawyers in
these towns. There was a distinct economic organisation in the form of guild. Each trade
and craft industry was organised into a guild.
 Craftsmen found it easier to settle in the towns as goods could be produced and traded
for food.
 The rich traders and merchants developed better than the nobility. They were generous
to the people and engaged in trade related activities.
 Later on cathedral towns began to develop, which belonged to monastery and rich
merchants.
Q2. Which causes were responsible for the rise of middle class?
Ans. The causes responsible for the rise of the middle class were
 In the crusade, a lot of feudal lords had been killed.
 The growth of commerce and trade made the trading class quite rich and prosperous.
They, in turn, sought the favour of king and helped him, whenever needed.
 The wealthy merchants and rich traders got many towns and cities freed from the
clutches of feudal control.
 The new cities soon grew into centres of trade, commerce and education and
consequently gave rise to the new classes.
 New classes of the rich merchants patronised art, science, literature and education.
Q3 How did technological changes affect agriculture during 11th century?
Ans. Technological changes affected agriculture in many ways:
 Wooden ploughs were replaced with heavy iron-tipped ploughs.
 The method of harnessing animals to the plough improved which enabled animals to exert
greater power. Horses were now better shod with iron horseshoes. It prevented foot decay..
 The increased use of wind and water energy for agriculture enhanced agricultural
production.
 The most innovative change was the switch from a two-field to a three field system. Now,
peasants could use a field two years out of three if they planted it with one crop in autumn
and a different crop in spring a year and a half later.
 Now the farmers could plant one with wheat or rye, the second in spring to raise peas, beans
and lentils and the other part was left fallow.
As a result, there was an immediate increase in the amount of food produced from each unit of
land. Food production almost doubled. There were better opportunities for cultivators. They could now
produce more food for less land. The average size of peasants' farm shrank from about 100 acres to 20
to 30 acres. As a result of holding. smaller lands could be more efficiently cultivated. It also reduced the
amount of labour. The new technological changes cost a lot of money.

Q.3. Discuss the political changes which occurred during 15th and 16th centuries in Europe.

Ans. The political changes that occurred during 15th and 16th centuries were as follows:

 European kings strengthened their military as well as financial power during 15th and 16th
centuries. They created powerful new states. These were much significant for Europe. Economic
changes were also occurring. Historians have, therefore, called these kings "the new monarchs",
 Louis XI in France, Maximilian in Austria, Henry VII in England and Isabelle and Ferdinand in
Spain were absolutist rulers. They initiated the process of organizing standing armies,
permanent bureaucracy and national taxation. In Spain and Portugal, they began to play a role in
European expansion overseas.
 Rulers dispensed with the system of feudal levies for their armies and introduced professionally
trained infantry equipped with guns and siege artillery directly under their control.
 The social changes started to take place in the 12th and 13th centuries after the triumph of
monarchies. The dissolution of the feudal system of lordship vassalage, and the slow rate of
economic growth had given the first opportunity to kings to increase their control over their
powerful and not so powerful subjects.
 With the increase in taxes, the treasury of monarchs filled. They had enough revenues to
support larger armies. They also defended and expanded their frontiers and ruthlessly
destroyed the internal bickerings. Without resistance from the aristocracy, centralisation
could not be done. In England, the rebellions occurred in 1497, 1536, 1547, 1549, and
1553 simultaneously.
 In France, Louis XI (1461-83) waged a long struggle against dukes and princes. In the
16th century, the religious wars in France were a contrast between royal privileges and
regional liberties.
  The king was now the centre of an elaborate courtier society and a network of
patronclient relationships.
 All monarchies, whether weak or powerful, needed the cooperation of those who could
command authority. It did not matter whether they were weak or strong. Patronage
became the means of ensuring cooperation. It could also be obtained by means of
money.
 For ensuring survival, the nobility managed a tactical shift. They quickly transformed
themselves into loyalists. Loyal absolutism has been called a modified form of feudalism.
The lords were given permanent position in the administrative service. Now they started
dominating the political scene.
Q.4 "Why did Europe's economic progress slow down by the early 14th century"? Give
reasons?
Ans. Europe's economic progress slowed down due to the following reasons:
 The warm summers of the last 300 years had given way to bitterly cold summers in
Northern Europe by the end of 13th century. It became quite difficult to grow down
by crops on higher ground. Storms and flood destroyed the entire crops, which
resulted into less income in taxes for government.
 Before thirteenth century, the climatic conditions had led to the large scale
reclamation of the land of forests and pastures for agriculture. Intensive ploughing
had exhausted the fertility of soil. The shortage of pastures reduced the number of
cattle. Europe was hit by severe famines between 1315 and 1317. By 1320s, there
occurred massive cattle deaths.
 Trade was hit by a severe shortage of metal money because of the shortfall in silver
mines in Austria and Serbia. It forced the governments to reduce the silver content
of the currency, and to mix it with cheaper metals.
 With the expansion of trade in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, ships
carrying goods from distant countries had started arriving in European ports.
Alongwith the ships came rats with deadly bubonic plague infection (the Black
Death). Western Europe was isolated in earlier centuries, but was hit by the
epidemic between 1347 and 1350.
As a result, the trade centres and cities were hit. In enclosed communities like monasteries and
covents, when one individual contracted the plague, a lot of people got affected to it. The
plague took its worst toll among infants, the young and elderly.
Q5 Discuss the major drawbacks of feudalism which prevailed in medieval Europe. – Ans.
The major drawbacks of feudalism which prevailed in medieval Europe were as follows:
  It divided the country into small fiefs held by the feudal lords. They were selfish. They
cared more for themselves and ignored the interests of the country as a whole. Hence,
feudalism gave a blow to national unity
 The central government became very weak. The feudal lords became more powerful
and supreme. The vassals ignored the order of the king. The king was entirely
dependent on feudal lords both for military and money. Sometimes they asserted their
independence and king could not control them.
 Feudalism encouraged rebellions and wars. The power of the lords was increasing day by
day and the kings were becoming more and more weak. This encouraged rebellious
tendency among the nobles. The nobles were also eager to get new lands.

So there was constant warfare among them. It destroyed peace and security and created chaos and
confusion in the society.

 Feudalism was responsible for the defective military organization. Every lard organised
his army in his own way. Their weapons and methods of lighting als differed as a result
of national crisis.
 Feudalism led to maladministration of justice. Every lord had his own court and laws. He
decided the cases and punished the people for the same crime that varied from estate
to estate.

1. On the map of Western Europe mark and locate the following extent of feudalism:

(i)St. Denis

(ii)Bingen

(iii) London

(iv) Rome

(v) Vienna