Causes And Effects Of Feudalism

The feudal system began to decline after the Black Death struck Europe in the late 1340’s. The feudal system joined politics and grouped together the social classes of that period. It began with the “relationship between two freemen (men who are not serfs), a lord and his vassal. Vassal derived from a Celtic word for servant, but in feudal terms vassal meant a free person who put himself under the protection of a lord and for whom he rendered loyal military aid.” This relationship was mutually beneficial at first, but throughout the development of the system, great restrictions were endured.

Feudalism, during medieval society, was parallel to the existence of the Catholic Church and its influence over the population. Religion permeated all elements of society and the way in which they related to each other. The Church wasn’t only a spiritual power, but a political and economic one and the struggles between the political and religious leaders will be key factors in the development of the medieval world. The church will also be the primary keeper of knowledge in the Middle Ages, and they will accomplish most cultural advancements.

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

Towards the end of the Middle Ages and into the duration of the Renaissance, the Medieval Church’s social and political power dwindled. Centuries prior the Catholic Church gained a surplus of control, largely due to the stability it maintained during the chaotic breakdown of the Western Roman Empire . Yet toward the end of the Middle Ages the Church set in motion factors that would ultimately lead to its downfall as the definitive figure of authority. However, despite political and social controversy surrounding the church, the institutions it established cleared a path for a new way of thinking, shaping society in an enduring way.

Under the feudal system, people would usually either work on manors or fields. According to document 4, vassals would give their loyalty, Military service, even a ransom if needed and in exchange, the Lord would give them both protection as well as land. Most people during the Middle Ages were vassals, very few were lords. If one was a lord, they then held absolute power over the fiefs. This meant the Lord could hold a court and decide the punishment for crimes. In this Age of Feudalism, the only people who had a higher status than the Lords was the King. In document 2 John of Toul the liege man of the count and countess of Champagne is promising to, "- aid the count of Champagne in my own person," as well as saying, "- whose service I owe to them for the fief which I hold of them." In these two statements, John of Toul is willing to fight in battle for the count of Champagne because he owes them service because of the land he was given by them. This statement shows how truly powerful the feudal system was at the time and how people did follow the rules of

After the fall of the Roman Empire, there was no main dominating force in Europe to enforce laws and protection for the people. The Middle Ages had begun and without the Romans, life became centered around survival. The destabilization caused rates of illiteracy, disease, and deaths to rise dramatically and to remedy the average peasants worry, the feudalism system flourished and required work in exchange for the safety of manors. Yet while there was not a overlooking empire to look towards for authority, the Catholic Church served its role to bring all classes together (Document 6). The Middle Ages will be ultimately known as an age of faith because of the prevalence of violence, power of religion, and the Catholic Church’s preservation of knowledge.

The Homage Oath an excerpt by John of Toul claims, “I will aid the count of Champagne in my own person, and will send to the count and countess of Champagne the knights who service I owe to them for the fief which I hold of them…”(Document 2). John of Toul states that he will provide knights in return for protection which is another example of how feudalism rose. The feudal obligations in the chart shows that loyalty given to the lord by the vassal is in return for protection. As of military service for land (Document 4). What is given and received within relationships through the classes is the moral of the concept. Feudalism is crucial in the Dark Ages, because violence is rising which forces the economy and society to crash. The development of feudalism brought upon structure and organization. The people need a system to be able to move forward and thrive in their communities. Not only does feudalism have a major impact on the Middle Ages, but so does

The queen began to accuse Lanval of being gay because he had never had a woman show him pleasure. Suddenly, Lanval admits that he is in love with someone else who would be far better than the queen herself, which sent the queen away crying. Soon afterwards, Lanval was commanded to appear in court without delay. The Queen’s assertive power was shown by her ability to punish innocent people, meaning she obviously got what she wanted regardless of whether it was right or not.

The central Middle Ages was a period of time from the 11th century through the 13th century that was characterized by prosperous economic growth in Europe. The lead of economic growth in Europe was the movements in the Christian communities. Christian movements in the central Middle Ages included Knights Templar, first Crusade, the Franciscans, and pilgrimages. Not only were the movements in the Christian communities made changes in the economy, but they also influenced the challenges against traditional authority. Some challenges of traditional authority were the Dominicans and the Franciscans. Guibert of Nogent’s description of the Revolt in Laon will be examined in this essay. Robert the Monk’s version of Pope Urban II’s speech from 1095

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.

There were a number of conditions that would lead to the emergence of “feudal warfare” in the early Middle Ages and there would be an equal number that would lead to its decline in the later middle ages as well yet to find the meaning of “feudal warfare” one has to look first at where this notion came from, and that was Feudalism.

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.

Through the modern eyes, history of Western civilization, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Age of Discovery, is seen through Medieval literature. Ten centuries of history are noticed, involving individual products of heroic periods and their unique era of culture. Acknowledging Medieval literature illustrates a society of heroic knights, led by a luxurious king, charging into battle, romantic connections between royalty and a common person, and new discoveries being found. As well as times characterized by feudal activity, along with the Catholic Church holding an influencing control of society, and placing heavily on the laws they laid. The Church ruled simultaneously with the government, controlling every aspect of the Medieval

The Middle Ages, often referred to as the Dark Ages, was regarded to be a time of despair, disease, and death. Just as the name the “Dark Ages” suggests, this period of European history seemed to be surrounded by darkness and hopelessness. Unfortunately, the majority of people only see this side of the Middle Ages when, in fact, the Middle Ages was a much more important era. Especially during the late Middle Ages, one can find a change in orthodox social structure, political instability mostly concerned with succession to the throne, and economic changes and how those changes went hand in hand with the change in society. After certain demographical changes and turning points such as the Hundred Years’ War, Europe began to transform

Western European people had endured a series of changes during the late medieval period. Changes can be categorized into two aspects: politically and socially. On politics, Popes were not as strong as they were due to conflicts between the state and the church. Socially, people began to live a religion- dominated life, and experienced active sexism towards women. These changes, either positive or negative, have become an undivided part of European History.