RR6: The Beginning of a New Age, The Middle to be Exact: The Motte + Bailey

A Motte + Bailey During the Middle Ages the feudal system and rural living with a manor ruled the time. The time of the Roman Empire's system of a central government in which a single emperor ruled diminished giving the oppurtunity to "land lords." I say this because in the time of the Middle Ages there was a system of direct personal contracts in which a vassal pleged service to a lord, and  a farmer pleged thier farm production to the vassal ruler. This process of exchanging money and societal roles went on until the lowest peasant, but all factors of production and consumption would be given to the lord.  

This is why no doubt that the lord's "palace" was located on a Motte "a mound." The literal definition of a motte describes the literal placement of the lord's manor which stands on a mound of dirt in Medival days. To know that the lord is on the top of this mound symbolizes society in a clear sene for the Medival Ages.

a Bailey is a "walled enclosure" that laid below the motte. The Bailey was the residence for all the other inhabitants of the manor which included the vassals, servants, and peasants.  Since the Bailey is  below the manor where the lord lives, the bailey is displayed as inferior to the motte and manor.
Overall, the Motte and the Bailey come togehter to create a perfect example of the hierarchy that was created in the early Medival Times.

The Single Image's Source: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pianoteacher3/early_myler_ancestors.html
and the rest of the reflection can be found in the Roth reading 303-304.

Designed by :
Erin Matthews
Non-Major