Medieval Pyramid of Power
How medieval society was organised: king at the top, then lords, then knights, then peasants/serfs; who owed what to whom; the pyramid of power and mutual obligations
What a learner can do afterwards
- Draw or describe the feudal pyramid showing king, lords, knights, and peasants
- Explain what each level owed to the level above (loyalty, military service, labour)
- Describe what a serf's life was like and why they couldn't easily leave
1 · Read
Kings made laws. A pyramid is a simple model of medieval landholding: king, lords, knights, then peasants and serfs. Lords owed the king loyalty and military service. Knights owed service to their lords, and peasants owed labour. Lords owed protection and support to those who depended on them.
Lord Edmund gave land to a knight named Roger. In return, Roger promised to fight for Edmund for a set number of days each year. Land and protection flowed down the pyramid. Loyalty and service flowed up.
Peasants and serfs sat at the bottom. Local customs set how many days a serf worked the lord's fields, often two or three a week, with more at harvest. Serfs could not leave the village without the lord's permission. In return, the lord let them live on his land.
Say the order from the top: King, Lords, Knights, then Peasants and serfs. Each level owed work or loyalty upward, and passed protection downward.
The medieval pyramid ran from king to lords to knights to peasants, with loyalty and service flowing up and protection flowing down.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.