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The Kings Way of Goverment

Decent Essays

Feudalism was based on the exchange of land for military service. It had levels of status similar to modern society. In the Middle Ages, the Feudal System was a very important system to kings in order for them to control entire countries.
The Feudal System was a vital system to William I who could not control all the land he had. According to Chris Trueman, William had defeated the English army lead by Harold Godwine but before he could be called King of England he had to gain control of all of England. The English thought of William as a foreigner who had forced his way into London. Since people didn’t like him he had to use force to maintain his control on England. It was extremely difficult for William to rule every part of the country …show more content…

These manors were isolated, with occasional visits from peddlers, pilgrims on their way to the Crusades, or soldiers from other fiefdoms. Family life was governed by the place one held in society. The nobles had the highest stats and possessed the most wealth and land. The clergy could be rich or poor, depending on their title and how much influence they had over the people. The serfs had the lowest stats and possessed the least amount of wealth and land (Characteristics).
Life in the Middle Ages was hard, especially for serfs, and few people could read or write. During the years of the Roman Empire, the soldiers of the emperor protected the poor people. Then when the empire fell, there were no laws protecting them, so they turned to the lords to keep the peace and to act on their behalf. This willingness of the poor people to be ruled by the lords led to the beginning of Feudalism. Some peasants, poor people, were free, but most became serfs, slaves, to the lord. Serfs generally lived in communities that were ruled by the local nobles. They could not marry or even leave the manor without the lord’s permission. Serfs did all the work on the manor farm and all serfs worked: men, women, and children. They worked in the fields, cared for animals, built and cared for buildings, made clothing, and everything else that required manual labor. There were also servants who worked in the manor doing the cooking, cleaning, laundering, and other household jobs. Serfs

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