Feudalism In Medieval Europe

The decline of the western part of the old Roman Empire left Europe without the laws and protection the empire had provided. The vacuum was filled by the creation of a feudal hierarchy. In this hierarchy, the serf, or peasant, was protected by the lord of the manor, who, in turn, owed allegiance to and was protected by a higher overlord. And so the system went, ending eventually with the king. The strong protected the weak, but they did so at a high price. In return for payments of money, food, labor, or military allegiance, overlords granted the fief, or feudum – a hereditary right to use land – to their vassals. At the bottom was the serf, a peasant who

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

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

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

Feudalism was a combination of legal and military customs that flourished from the 9th to 15th centuries that provided political organization. Feudalism was created as a solution due to the fall of Empires around the area of Europe. Broadly defined, Feudalism was a way of structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for services and labors. In a feudal society, everyone was set in place in a class system. The classes consisted of nobles, church officials, peasants, and serfs. These classes brought organization and order to the people in order to maintain a stable government through the feudal system. The class system brought defense, and property of land. Through a mutual relationship between a lord (a man from whom a landholding or a manor was held) and a vassal, (a holder of land by feudal tenure on conditions of homage and allegiance) defense and internal order was brought. When a vassal made an arrangement with a lord, the vassal pledged immediate loyalty to the

Although 90% of people were peasants, there was a very clear separation between the lower class and upper class. If you were a peasant you would expect to live your life out as a peasant. The same concept goes for nobility. With these roles also come their positions and worth. Royalty obviously were given far better education as their had a higher roll, in comparison to peasants who were expected to farm to feed themselves. The loss of a peasant meant nothing to the death of a king. Evidence of feudalism is often displayed by a hierarchy, displaying the classes and status powers (according to the Finer Times 2008-2015) The role of the feudal system also gave incredible power to the upper class which in turn allowed them to have control over the lower class. This enabled royalty such as kings and dukes to take a life if they so wished it. From this display of power peasants had no choice but to obey, as to disobey a king meant that you were singing away your will to live. Other social status such as Knights also played an important and dominate roll. Knights had power over the people and land, so ultimately if they wished so they could potentially banish you. According to Tammy Pattie (online author of Titles, Positions, Trades & Class, 2011) the roles of the hierarchy were irreversible meaning that unless you were born into royalty, you were essentially going to live out your life as the king demands you to do, often starving as well. The upper class had the social control over you, which meant everything during that

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.

Feudalism is defined as the dominant social system in post classical Europe. Land was passed down from the kings to the nobles, who gave it to the knights, who gave it to the peasants. These peasants farmed the land in turn for protection, a home and a share of the harvested food on the land. Peasants provide food and services to the warriors. Vassals provided military service and protection to the barons (nobles) in exchange for land. The barrons provided money and knights to the kings. European Feudalism came about in attempt to restore Europe after the fall of many different enormous and centralized empires, such as Rome Between between the 9th and 15th centuries, Feudalism led to changes such as new source of protection, as well as continuities

Feudalism began in Europe during 850-950. It can be defined as a system of governing and landholding. The feudal system is based on rights and obligations. In exchange for military protection and other services, a landowner, or lord, granted land, or fief, to someone, who was called the vassal. An example of this system is shown with Charles the Simple and Rollo. Rollo, the head of a viking army, had been plundering and leading raids on the Seine River Valley for years. Charles the Simple, the king of France at the time, granted Rollo a piece of French territory if he would stop these raids in return. Charles the Simple would have been the lord in this situation, while Rollo was the vassal. Other rulers and warriors during this time made similar agreements in many parts of Europe.

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.

When most people think of the Middle Ages or medieval times, they think of grand castles, fearless knights, menacing kings, dashing lords, elegant ladies, and the acclaimed act of chivalry. However, there is a lot more to this prominent age than most people may think. According to the document, Feudalism and the Manorialism by Onondaga Central School Community, the manorial system of the time by which vassals pledged their loyalty and military support to their lords in return for this land is truly one to rave about! The lords who owned land split it and gave portions of land to the vassals. In return, these vassals had to pledge for their lords and offer help to them in times of need.

If you ask someone about the Medieval Ages, they would typically think of kings, princesses, the village folk, and knights in shining armor. What many don't know about of is the Feudal System that made certain images iconic about the Medieval Ages. This system classified them into social classes that ruled their day-to-day lives. The lowest of these social classes were the peasants, who worked in the fields and prevented the kingdom from falling. The last thing people would think about is the hygiene of the Medieval Ages, which was horrendous compared to our modern day way of keeping ourselves clean. These awful living condition led to many outbreaks of disease, which killed many people in the Medieval Ages.

In exchange for land, a vassal had to pledge loyalty and military service; taking on a number of responsibilities towards the feudal lord such as having to serve on the lord’s court for administration in justice. Just like how nobles could be the vassals of kings, knights can also be the vassals of nobles. Generally, the feudal hierarchy is divided into three categories; those who fought consisted of nobles and knights, those who prayed consisted of officials of the Christian Church, and those who worked were peasants and serfs. The nobles provided a part of their fiefs to the knights on lease, in the same way as the king had “leased” them. The bottom of the hierarchy consists of peasants and serfs who worked on the fiefs and paid tithes in exchange for protection from barbaric tribes and land to live on. However, this feudal social hierarchy was very rigid with little opportunities for social mobility. In an excerpt describing the obligations of the serfs of Dernale, England (D4), it is described that “When anyone of [the bond-tenants] dieth, the lord shall have all the pigs of the deceased, all his goats, all his mares at grass…” When a serf dies, most of his/her belongings go to the lord instead of the family. As a result, it’s difficult for serfs to increase their prosperity from one generation to the next because of the inability for their possessions and accumulated hard work to be passed onto their

Survival is key to all civilizations. Certainly this was the case during the Middle Ages. Despite this fundamental fact, the Middle Ages witnessed the creation of Feudalism and Manorialism witnessing the proliferation of power from the Church. The Middle Ages started in the 5th century and ended in the 15th century. Despite the unyielding and often unethical (corrupt) practices of the Church, nevertheless Europe managed to propel itself forward through the implementation of the Feudal and manor system clearly delineated power and responsibility within society.

In Medieval times during the 10th and 13th centuries, a form of political and social organization called feudalism was a way of life that had great effect on people of the time and on the modern world. Feudalism was developed because of the weakness of Europe and it's kings. The word feudalism comes from the word fief, which was the land held on condition of feudal service, similar to an estate (English). The fiefs bound together lords and vassals. Feudalism was a structure in which a lord divided his land into smaller parts to give to lesser lords (“Feudalism”).