A Distant Mirror Reading Assignment Part 1 Answers and Feudalism in Europe Answers

The article, “European Feudalism” by Deborah Symonds, is a brief analysis of the political economy found in Europe in and around the year of 1500, more commonly known as the medieval ages. During said period, little to no established form of modern governance was visible, leaving a barbaric and bloodlust culture to find a means to controlling areas of land. This culture, mixed with a heavily strong presence of the Frankish ruling style lead to a system in which a ruling class divided the power to rule among lesser noble people. The system of a warrior aristocracy left an often impoverish group of persons underneath them to provide crops, products and labor as a means of economic stability to an unstable economy. Throughout her article, Symonds touches on the key areas of how the society was governed and the relationships between classes of people.

During this time the social class depended on how much land you owned. Royalty in your Kings and Queens was part of the upper class; the noble lords and vassals followed the

When the plague struck lots of the population of slaves and peasants died, which meant that there was a huge struggle for landowners to find workers for their fields. This meant that peasants could demand higher wages and had lots of bargaining power. This is because if landowners didn’t have workers than they wouldn’t be making any money, which would lead to their loss in wealth. Another way the feudal system was changed is that usually skilled artisans and craftsmen handed down their family business to their sons. However if these descendants were dead then craftsmen and artisans had to employ new workers, which meant peasants and slaves acquired more important skills. And finally, because of these reasons there was a growth in the middle class. The middle class are not slaves, but not nobles. This meant the population became more equal and many different jobs arose for people. Changes to the feudal system allowed Europe to grow closer to what we know it as

During the middle ages the lack of protection and a stable government after the Fall of Rome created the need for a new political system. Feudalism was the political system that emerged and shaped the lives of people socially and politically. Manors were small communities that were made up of a castle, church, village, and land for farming. The structured society provided a place and responsibility for everyone. The feudal obligations showed that in exchange for one thing they would be provided with something else. Serfs and peasants would work and produce goods for the rest of the manor and in return had their land and promised protection. The vassals would need to obtain land from the Lord and in return would provide the Lord with military service, loyalty, and ransom if asked for (Doc. 4). To make clear the vassal’s specific allegiance to their lord whom they owed in for exchange for their fief they would take the Homage Oath (Doc. 2). This interdependent system required everyone to do their part and it created social classes that they were born into. Their daily lives were centered on the manor and that was how it stayed until towns began to

Between the years of 500 and 1400, Europe had evolved into the Middle Ages. The Dark Ages was a period of time where barbarians killed others and burned villages. The kings and nobility granted land to the knights and serfs in exchange for crops and military service this was known as the Age of Feudalism. The Age of Faith relates to how strong the christian church was, the church was an important part of life for the people in the community.The Dark Ages, the Age of Feudalism, the Age of Faith all describe the Middle Ages between the era of 500 and 1400.

The societal mindset that was prevalent in medieval Europe, feudalism, phased out due to the bubonic plague and the religious beliefs of the people.

Feudalism was the system used in Europe during the late middle ages. The economic part of feudalism was centered on the lord's estate or manor. A lord's manor consisted of a peasant village, a church, farm land, a mill and the lord's castle. Feudalism was split in society levels. Kings would be on top with the most power, then upper lords followed by lesser lords, underneath the lesser lords were the knights, and then the serfs being the lowest social class.

During the ninth century, the land that was granted to a vassal was now known as a fief. After owning the land for a while, many vassals would possess the power to exercise rights of jurisdiction or political and legal authority within their fiefs. When the Carolingian political system began to fall, because of numerous invasions and internal differences, various powerful lords arose. Now it was the people’s job to keep order, they could no longer depend on the government. Since number of lords substantially increased, the number of vassals multiplied also. This abundant increase brought about the development of subinfeudation. This is where fief-holding became complicated. Vassals of a king might also have vassals who might owe them military service for land that was granted to them. These vassals sometimes also had other vassals under them who might only have enough land to provide their equipment. Even though this system brought about greater and lesser landowners, this relationship was still honorable. Since this was a willing relationship between free men, it was not based on servitude. This

When Louis the Pious’, the son of Charlemagne, empire was divided, the subsequent actions of his sons led to the necessary creation of a new social and political structure. The structure that was embraced across western Europe became known to historians as feudalism. According to historians and legal scholars, feudalism is categorized as a political system in which warriors and religious figures swore their than allegiance, in the form of of loyalty, aid, and military assistance to the most powerful noble, in the area. In exchange for their allegiance, these warriors and religious figures, better known as vassals, were given protection and material reward, often in the form of a fief, from their lord (UWS, 234-235). Another important aspect

Knights who performed well in battle, largely because of extensive practice, were given a fief, which is a portion of land granted by a king. Their extreme power and loyalty was greatly influenced by this reward (Alchin). Although the reward of land was highly sought after, knights were required to fight during times of war. Knights who had been given land where required to fight during times of war when they were "raised by the Feudal Levy when there was a 'Call to Arms'. Under the Feudal Levy soldiers and knights were required to fight for a limited period of 40 days” (Alchin).

Feudalism, as a decentralized political system, flourished in Medieval Europe. In this essay, the main political and economic characteristics of Feudalism will be mentioned, while discussing the main historical factors to the rise and fall of feudalism.

Land was the primary means of production and the surplus was expropriated from producers under extra-economic coercion. This is the more traditional type of feudalism that most people have come to know. The second age in European feudalism lasted from the 12th century to the 15th century and was marked by a centralized power (Dumolyn). The aristocracy had now consolidated power and became feudal monarchies due to economic growth with new industries such as textiles in Flanders and commerce becoming interconnected with more trade between regions happening as production increased.

The feudal society is structured like a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is the king, and then the most powerful vassals such as nobles and bishops. Beneath these vassals are knights, who serve their king in exchange for fiefs. At the bottom of the pyramid are the landless peasants. In the feudal system, status determines a person’s prestige and power. Social class is inherited from previous generations. During the Middle Ages, most people were peasants. These peasants were

Europe was in a light age due to high accomplishments and power. Although there were some rough times there were a lot of great times. For example, there was a system called Feudalism to keep order in the town. The king was at the top, lords, knights, and lastly, the serfs or peasants. Previously anyone could read or write, only the monks could read or write. Until one day in Bologna, Italy, the University of Bologna was the first university that was established, so now everyone is able to read and write instead of the monks. According to the rise of the universities, it states, “However, universities introduced a new system of education, eventually replacing the monastery and church schools.” They were also making very big Cathedrals at the

Something every civilization needs. Something so powerful that without it civilizations fall into chaos. Social Systems. But not just any social system, the European Middle Ages one. The Feudal System. While it may seem insignificant to Europe and Europe’s history compared to other events like the Hundred Years’ War or the Black Plague which killed many people and completely changed many parts of Europe, the Feudal System (also called Feudalism) was also very important to Europe during the Medieval Times.