Up until the middle of the 11th century, medieval Europe was under constant attack by bands of Vikings in search of wealth and land. The feudal system that took the place of the Roman Empire evolved to help secure European land and lives from these violent invaders. As long as the Viking threat remained, many knights were needed to guard a lord's land and property and to protect the people on it.
What happens when the raids stop? If you're lord of a manor, what can you do with all those battle-trained soldiers, most of them still looking for a fight? Click the Question buttons to learn what happened.
What happens when the raids stop? If you're lord of a manor, what can you do with all those battle-trained soldiers, most of them still looking for a fight? Click the Question buttons to learn what happened.
Question
Once the Viking attacks on Europe ended, noble lords had knights under their control with no enemy to fight. What did the knights end up doing?
They became private, standing armies of the lords. Lords fighting with each other used their knights to attack peasant villages belonging to their rivals. Instead of protecting peasants in a castle from a Viking attack, knights attacked peasants in their homes and fields on behalf of their lord.
Question
As the actions of the knights raised alarm, who stepped in to try to control them?
The Christian Church; Bishops in the Church worried that violence caused by the knights would destroy society. They gathered the knights in places where the relics of saints were kept, and made them swear on those holy relics that they would obey any laws for their behavior that the Church issued.
Question
What two proclamations were made to control the knights?
The Peace of God and the Truce of God; The Peace of God stated that people who couldn’t defend themselves, like peasants, widows (of any class), and priests, were off-limits for attacks by Christian knights. The Truce of God said that certain periods, like the time around Christmas, or Sundays, should be free of violence.
Question
With the threat of foreign invasion gone, what was the main role of medieval knights?
To terrorize the peasants of a neighboring fief, and to frighten them into transferring their loyalty from one lord to another
Question
How did the Christian Church manage to place some limits on the knights' violence?
The Church used the threat of divine punishment to keep the knights in check. Priests gathered holy relics (items used by saints when they were alive, or body parts believed to belong to saints) and summoned the knights to face the relics. The priests then explained that the saints represented by the relics would punish the knights unless the knights swore to obey the "peace and truce of God." Fearing the saints' wrath, the knights would swear not to attack helpless people such as peasants, widows, and priests. The knights also agreed to refrain from violence at specified times of the year.
