The vassal-lord relationship in Europe was created very similarly to how the samurai-daimyo relationship in Japan came about. These systems or relationships were created in order to protect the higher powers, the lord and daimyos. In these systems though, the samurai and vassals both had a type of agreement with the lords and the daimyo. In return for protecting the lord and his family, the vassal was given land, a very important gift back then, in a contract made with the lord. The samurai though led a simple life and did not demand anything in return for their loyalty to the daimyo. This is why many historians believe that the Japanese system may or may not be a feudal system because a feudal system means a decentralized political order in
Feudal Europe and Feudal Japan were two different civilizations, with two different social structures. Although both used the Feudal system, they used altered versions of it. Feudal Japan differs from Feudal Europe by its social classes. To begin, the leaders in the two civilizations had different roles. The Feudal Europe King had to rule his country, and had all the authority.
Have you ever heard of the medieval knights from Europe or the medieval samurais from Japan. Both warrior served a important role in defense for their region. In fact both knights and samurais played a role in a social system known as feudalism. Feudalism began in Europe as early as the 8th century and began in Japan in about 1185 A.D both due to the lack of security. In a one-on-one battle, a samurai would win because of their strong weapons, enforced training, and the acceptance of death.
The similarities between samurais and knights were greater than the differences due to the similarity in the hierarchy and the armor they used to protect themselves. The Samurai were “warriors who owed loyalty and military service to daimyos for land or regular payment.” They made up about 10% of Japan’s population. Similarly, knights were “warriors who owed loyalty and military service to the lord for land.” (Document A) There were about 12,000 knights in England and Normandy, France in the 12th century. Even though Japan and Europe had no communication or access to each other, both areas placed the warrior classes in the middle of the hierarchy and owed loyalty/military services. This shows that the social order of both Feudal Japan and Feudal
Each of the two warriors had a code to follow. The European code was called The Code of Chivalry. In Japan it was called The Code of Bushido. When a knight pledged his service to a lord, he swore an oath that bound the two parties by law. But a samurai never swore to an oath, and there was no legal contract of any kind. Land was the basis of the l relationship in Europe between knights and their lord , but in Japan, the bond was what mattered. Loyalty in Japan was hereditary. It was passed father to son, so it stayed in the family for generations. (Doc
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
To begin, Europeans lived under a system called feudalism which was important to their social status. “Feudalism was a political, economic, and social system in which nobles were granted to use of land that legally belonged to the king”(Doc1).The kings provided money for the knights(Doc1). Then the knights provided protection and military services for the serfs,nobles and kings(Doc1). The serfs farmed the land. Lastly the nobles gave land to the serfs, collected food from them, and reported to the king (Doc. 1). These roles were important because their rank in feudalism controlled their social status.
Feudalism in Japan and Europe are different. Although feudalism arose because both societies were in need for security and stability, feudalism in Japan arose because of civil rivalry while feudalism in Europe arose because of invasions. The systems were the same because the lords had to lessen their responsibilities and required armies to protect them. Trust was needed between lords and their
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.
Document A shows the feudal social structures in both Japan and Europe. When defining samurai and knights it read, “Warriors who owned loyalty and military service to daimyos or lord for land,” both samurai and knights were awarded for their pledged loyalty with land for them and their families. Document E states that “both samurai and knights were both expected to abide by a code of honor.” Although the honor code that Japanese warriors followed was different than the one of the European knights, they had the same general idea. A warrior had to be honest, loyal, and just and if they ever ignored or dishonored their duty as a warrior then it would bring shame, not only on them but their whole
European feudalism was based on contract and Japanese feudalism was based on personal relationship with the lord and vassal. This helps prove that the differences between European and Japanese feudalism made limited government more likely to develop in the West because a contract limits what the lords and vassals could do. William, the king of English, said, “I command you [the vassal] to summon all those who are under your charge......and bring ready with you those five knights that you owe me[.]”1 This helps prove that European feudalism was based on contract because when you owe someone something, it implies an agreement. The key terms are I command you and owe. The vassal has to send troops because he has to. He is under the rule of
The samurai were the feudal warriors of ancient Japan. For thousands of years they upheld the code of bushido, the way of the warrior. Samurai were around for thousands of years, but when did they disappear? Does the code of bushido still exist to this day? Exploring the history of the samurai will give an explanation to what has happened to these formidable warriors.
Feudalism was a contrasting system dealing with political and military relationships existing among members of the higher social class, Kings, Lords and other owners of large lands in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. The Feudal system started by the granting of fiefs, chiefly in the form of land and labor, in return the lord would receive political and
During the middle ages both Europe and Japan experienced feudalism. The feudal system in both social structures was very similar and different. The system of feudalism in Europe and Japan was a system that had similar roles for the nobles,and the peasants.Both cultures had warriors who defended the people of our country.They follow certain codes of honor. The feudal system has many similarities but also consisted of many differences.
A lord would grant land to another noble in exchange for protection and military services. This grant was called a fief. Those who received fiefs were called vassals. Within the fief, the vassal was the highest authority. Fiefs could be various seizes. Some were single estates just big enough for a knight and his family. Others were large, as big as an entire country or province.
European feudal institutions revolved around political and military relationships. The feudal political order developed into a complicated network of lord-vassal relationships, with lords having overlords, and overlords owing allegiance to kings. On these foundations early kingdoms, such as England and France, were built, but in other areas, such as modern-day Germany, the feudal organization remained highly decentralized.