HIST 1300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Demesne
Document Summary
Does not last very long but holds importance as it lays groundwork for other empires and stands as a symbol: conveys certain ideas on how power is portrayed. Clovis (r. 509-511: first merovingian king of the franks, united the franks into a single kingdom. Merges roman population with barbarian population: by converting to nicene christianity, eased assimilation with roman gauls, gained support of institutional church. Characteristics of early medieval society: rural, underpopulated. Majority of population: slaves, serfs and free peasants: economically depressed. Poor soil quality, climate deterioration, political unrest, crude technology: land-based system of wealth. Manse (land a family would have), manor (a unit of land, originally a feudal lordship, consisting of a lord"s demesne and lands rented to tenants: supporting warrior and ecclesiastical upper class. Note: things like iron and clothe were valuable because of how labor intensive it was to make it. Destabilizing forces in merovingian rule: personal, not institutional kingship, 2.
