Asking Questions and Not Teaching Feudalism, Manorialism, and Serfdom in Late Medieval Europe

Discussion of (not) teaching feudalism, manorialism, and serfdom in late medieval Europe

23 Sep 2024 — 3 min read

From pages 45 & 46 of the AP World History Course and Exam Description

Most of us probably learned something about feudalism, manorialism, and serfdom at some point in our education. You may even have drawn a diagram of Europe’s social order. The problem with all these concepts is that they are more concepts than historic realities. So how do we teach them?

The Source

Afroeurasian Exchange Networks and the Spread of Religions before 1450

Extensive trade networks crisscrossed Afroeurasia before 1500. These networks facilitated more than the movement of goods; cultural traditions and technologies also spread through the networks. We can easily see this through the spread of the four most popular universal religions. The Source