The Role Of Feudalism In Medieval Europe

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.

Through the years of 1347 and 1350, a terrible plague took over Europe. In those three years, the plague killed approximately 25 million people or one-third of Europe’s population. Not one family did not lose a family member to the plague. About one hundred people died daily, and mostly of them were never buried in a proper manner. Their bodies scattered the street of the city unclaimed. This plague was the Black Death, the most deadly natural disaster in the history of Europe. The loss of life was tremendous, and the damage was immense. Across Europe, the Black Death appeared and disrupted people daily routine. The Black Death shattered the people of the Middle Ages ways of life. It demolished the economy and as well of traditional beliefs. There was no returning to the ways of Middle Age life that has been for the past five hundred years. The Black Death brought an end to the Middle Ages.

Amongst the devastation and despair the Black Death left in its wake, it also brought with it some much-needed change to the way medieval Europeans were living. Although it ended many innocent lives, it also began a new era of social and economic living. In the years following the first outbreak of the plague, medical knowledge and awareness of hygiene dramatically improved, as did the living and working conditions of the workers. Other benefits included the rapid growth of Europe’s middle class and thus the fall of the feudal system, the loss of the church’s supreme authority, and the increase in economic power for medieval women.

The Bubonic Plague, or better known as the Black Death, was a pandemic disease that swept across Western Europe in the 1300s that ultimately killed one-third of the population. Such a devastating disease called for drastic changes, one being the weakening of manorialism. Partly due to the Black Death, the crucial economic system in the Middle Ages known as manorialism, was weakened. On a fief, there was a piece of land called a manor, which was owned by a lord who was often a noble. The serf was someone who was not able to buy land, so they lived on a manor.

Feudalism is “a political, military and social system in the Middle Ages, based on the holding of lands in fief” (Dictionary). The feudal system relies on a very strict hierarchy. There are fewer people working on the lord’s land and the land that had usually been the main source of the economy was now valueless. The foundation of feudalism relied upon was broken, which lead to the end of the feudal system. Also, the medieval people believed that the church has a direct context to God. However, the churches were not able to provide an explanation of the plague or stop the plague from happening. Because of this, their authority and power were questioned by many followers and many of them lost faith in God and turned

The Black Death, now considered the biggest epidemic of the 16th Century, exterminated half of the earth’s population. Europe was left devastated and in ruins following the countless deaths, pillages of barbarians, and loss of morality. Those who came down with the plague endured innumerable tribulations and those who were lucky enough to not contract the illness stayed indoors and made little contact with the outside world. This led to many becoming petulant and restless. Due to the plague, fear ran rampant throughout Europe and caused fallacious theories explaining the illness, violence, and the desensitization of many.

You would think the middle ages were a time where everyone had money and rode dragons. However, the middle ages were a time where you were either part of the rare rich life or down by the pigs. During the Middle Ages, Europeans social, economic and political life was defined by feudalism. Feudalism was the social system in medieval Europe, when knights would fight for nobles, lords, and kings in exchange for land (OI).

The disease took a major toll on the population of Europe but as it wiped out communities it also caused changes in the social structure of European society. Europe was run by a feudal

Can you imagine all of your family becoming weak and withering right before your eyes, never knowing if you were going to be next? This was a reality for many people in Europe during the 1300’s. The Black Death caused havoc for the Medieval culture, which caused people to trust all sorts of rumors that ended up being bogus. Along with the major adjustments the Black Death had on Medieval culture, the bedevil also ended up slaughtering 75 million people, which had major modifications on economy. Finally, the Black Death had major effects on the social classes and how they fit into feudalism. Feudalism was a social system that met the needs of its people, but because of the Black Death, feudalism came to it’s long awaited end, causing

During the High Middle Ages, Feudalism and the Societal Hierarchy was the social construct of the land. In that time period only 10% of peasants were actually free men, the rest were under the social class of serfs. Europe was becoming overpopulated due to periods of peace and prosperity, making it incredibly convenient for cheap labor. Working for the lords of the land, Serfs were very much close to slaves, but this all changed during the 1350s. The population began to decline due to mass starvation caused by poor harvest, throughout parts of Europe. Increased warfare also contributed to decline in population, such as Hundred Years’ War. Perhaps the most detrimental of all this is, the black plague, which began to wreak havoc in Europe around 1348. The Black Plague, “Black Death”, was a disease that civilization had no answer to. The massive deaths of the population caused the feudal lords to face severe labor shortages,

In the Middle Ages, nothing caused more chaos than the Black Plague. It was a large disease that spread all across Western Europe causing one-third of the population to disappear. As the Black Plague spread further and further, more problems erupted. People did not know how to react to the plague so they killed their neighbors. Cities were forced to raise taxes to pay for the expenses of the plague, but nothing could solve the large amount of debt that was due. The Black Plague led to the decline of feudalism because the problems it caused, led to more issues.

Before the Black Death, life in Europe was genuinely stable. People got sick, but doctors were there to treat them. The economy was not perfect, but it was able to provide the people with what was needed. The social aspect of Europe was run by the feudal system, similar to most other civilizations during this time. This all changed when the plague struck. Doctors no longer understood how to treat their patients infected with the plague. The social order was completely disrupted and people began questioning their identity. The economy began to crumble due to the fast spreading disease. This killer disease completely transformed the lives of Europeans. The widespread outbreak of the Bubonic plague impacted fourteenth century Europe in ways such as advancements in medicine, major changes in society and almost destroying the economy.

When it came to the social status of Europe, trade was a major way in which not only goods were spread, but also culture and ideas. Due to the Black Plague, trade became very limited. At this point, the only thing being spread more rapidly than religious and cultural beliefs, was the plague. Since trade decreased significantly, the standard of living was raised, resulting in extreme inflation and a drastic change within the social hierarchy of Europe. Workers became exceedingly scarce so the lords had to make it more profitable for peasants to work, resulting in more empowerment brought about peasants and serfs. Due to this drastic change in the social classes, the upper classes refused to accept the changes brought about from the plague. As a result, the peasants revolted drastically changing the economic structure of

European society was devastated by the disease. Towns and cities were depopulated and suffered from the shortage of food. The large share of the rural population died out too. European society faced the threat of starvation. Peasants’ labor became extremely important and landlords had to attract peasants by higher wages. As a result, peasants started to move from their villages to other villages being attracted by lords that undermined the main principle of the feudal system where peasants were tied to the land that belong to landlords. The Black Death started to wreak havoc in Europe and the society came unprepared to the

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.