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The rise and fall of feudalism
The rise and fall of feudalism
The rise Feudalism
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Feudalism is what shaped everything that went on in the middle ages, not to mention that knights had a strong impact on it to help continue almost everything that was going on. Knights went through a series of different kinds of training getting food in return for all their hard work over the years; they would eventually give back to the people by protecting everyone and everything that the middle ages would be known for. The feudal system has many different classes and you are born into your class, once you’re in that class you can’t get out of it. This is why people worked so hard to provide for others expecting that there will be something given back, such as how knights give their people protection for crops, money land etc. Feudalism was
In the middle ages, knights were viewed as those who would represent the greatest level of chivalry, considering it was part of their code. King Arthur talked to a peasant in the beginning of the film who expressed her said unhappiness about the government and her views did not align with King Arthur so he disapproved. The peasant described medieval Europe as a horrid place to live. There was also a lack of education among the peasants because in the British empire at that time, there were many small kingdoms owned by lords, under one king. All the peasants really knew was their own kingdom and their king, they were not really educated on the number or where other kingdoms were. During this time period, the peasants were viewed as the bottom of the food chain, and in the feudal system they were actually at the bottom. This meant that they had no real say in the government or how it was ruled, so this interaction did not seem accurate for the time period nor did it cause any impact because those who were high in the feudal system liked the strong divide between classes. The way of life during the middle ages was strongly influenced by past traditions and morals that had been passed down from generation to generation. One of these old traditions included
The feudal system was one that arose in England after the invasion and conquest of William I. It has been said that this was the perfect political system for this time period. Life was really hard back in the Middle Ages and safety and defense were really hard to come by after the empire fell. There were no laws to protect the poor, so they turned to their lords to keep them safe. The king was in complete control of the system and he owned all the land. One quarter was kept as private property and the rest was given to the church or leased
Feudalism dominated European social life during the Middle Ages (Doc.1). “Feudalism was a political, economic, and social system in which nobles were granted the use of land that legally belonged to the king” (Doc. 1) "Social" life in the Middle Ages was the only kind of life people knew. Whether nobility, craftsperson or peasant, your life is defined by your family, your community and those around you (OI). “The Church protected the Kings and Queens (OI).” “The King is above Nobles, Nobles above Knights, and the Knights are above serfs (Doc.1).”
Opposite to the clergy were the lords and nobility who developed their own culture, which was centered on chivalry. According to this ideal, the duty of a knight was to unite Christian virtues with courage and spirit of battle, demonstrated by jousting. The lords attempted to regulate their lands and reduce the influence of the nobility and the Church. Their power, however, was dependent on their subjects in the economic system of feudalism, which defined power relations. A lord would lend a fiefdom to a vassal, which thus created a social relationship in that the vassal owed service and the lord owed protection.
The Age of Feudalism describes the Middle Ages because people needed some organization in their society. The fall of the Roman Empire had left the government in an unstable position, and people needed protection from their lords. The start of feudalism would make it easier for the king because he would not have to rule over a large territory because the area would be under the control of several nobles. This was a political system in which each class on a manor would have to provide something for the society in order to receive assistance in return. A manor consisted of several villages where the lord had overlooked each area. For example the vassal had to provide loyalty and military service, and received protection and land from their lord (Doc. 3). Feudalism not only worked between lords and vassals, but between each class (except merchants). Take for instance, John of Toul is sending his knights to the count and countess of Champagne in order to protect them, and he had received land from them (Doc 2). Another example was the Salisbury oath, wh...
The rise of the church had a great impact in medieval society. The great belief of Christianity began with Jesus of Nazareth who presented public preaching’s of a friendly and forgiving God as he claimed he was the Messiah. According to Jesus, god’s command was for all human kind to love, cherish, and focus their lives to the Lord. The love that was expected for humans to have for God was to adore him with all of their hearts, minds, and souls. He also preached to the early people of how one should love one another. A friendly and forgiving God would later attract many sacredly inspired communities to worship him. People of the medieval world placed great belief in Christianity causing the rise of the church to impact many aspects of the society including government, family, and architecture.
Although scholars dispute its roots, Feudalism was mostly seen in Frankish lands around the 9th and 10th century. ("Feudalism: History of Feudalism in Europe." Infoplease.) The system was first introduced as a means of protection for the king. However, as time grew the opportunity to use it as means of exchange for services between the king and vassal was found. Instead of just forcing people into the king’s army the idea of giving fiefs to those who would pledge their life to service the king was decided on. Likewise, vassal, or the knights saw the advantages they had that could be used to their advantage.
Imagine having to keep a promise to support a lord for exchange for land. Or having to work on land in transaction for protection and a bit of the harvest for your family. This is one effect of the rules of feudalism and the manor system (OI). For Europeans in the Middle Ages, the social, political and economic lives were influenced by the feudal system.
In conclusion I feel that the medieval period allowed the women to gain a powerful status in society. They gained honorable reputations and were respected by everyone. The chivalric attitudes that the knights obtained allowed for an uprising of the public status between the sexes. Their attitudes toward each other had a tremendous change from the classical era to the Medieval one. We can still see the medieval attitude today towards some women. Some men go out of their way to help the lady. Men open doors for ladies and keep them warm. Instead of them being called knights, they are called gentlemen. This can be an indication of the existence of medieval knights and the chivalric code they followed.
The Middle Ages was a time of great importance. From this time period, we are given unbelievable cathedrals, beautiful art, and exhilarating music. All of these things were done in order to show people's devotion towards God. The cathedrals were built as a place of worship, the art was painted to enhance the look of cathedrals such as stain glass windows, and the music, to praise the Lord with their voices. The main reason people did these types of things was to be with God, in their own way until they made it to heaven, which was known as the Age of Faith.
As time progressed the feudal system was created. It was designed to divide the lands and protect from attack. The king first gave a fief or a piece of land to a royal vassal. As proof for this exchange in land a vassal would swear to the lord to be his man all the days of his life and protect him against "all men who may live or die." Next came investiture. Investiture was a symbolic gesture when a King or a lord presented a royal vassal or a vassal a stick, a small rod, or a clod of earth to show that he has given him a fief. Now this royal vassal was in charge of a huge piece of land. In order to defend it he would then divide his land into smaller pieces. He would take these smaller pieces and give them to warriors or who agreed to be his own vassals. Thus, the royal vassal became a lord to other vassals. The vassals now under this lord would now divide their lands and grant fiefs to warriors of their own. Last in the dividing of land was the knight whose parcel of land was too small to be divided.
Feudalism was an economic and governmental structure in which land was divided into smaller pieces based on people’s servitude. Vassals were subjects to whom a higher authority would grant land in exchange for their loyalty and service. The kingdom’s ruler would give his higher-classed subjects vassalages, making them lord of their territory. These lords and nobles then split their land among their own servants, who in turn did the same. In this system, the King’s land was broken up into many small subdivisions.
The medieval church was very important in the medieval era. It had a big effect on society and it influenced many people’s lives. There were many various reasons why the church was very important. People didn’t just go there to pray, but also for social gatherings and meetings.
Hamm S., Jean. Term Paper Resource Guide to Medieval History. Santa Barbara, California. Greenwood Press. 2010. Print.
The Middle Ages encompass one of the most turbulent periods in English History. Starting with the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest - when William the Conqueror effectively took all of the lands from the Saxon English and gave them to French nobles. The English Middle Ages then saw the building of the great English castles, including the Tower of London, which helped the Normans to retain their hold on England. The start of the Crusades and the knights of the Middle Ages, including the founding of the Knights Templar. The Domesday Book and the Magna Carta. The Kings and Queens of the Middle Ages including Richard the Lionheart and great Plantagenet Kings from Henry II (1154-1189) to Edward III (1327-1377). The Hundred Years War between England and France. The Medieval Kings and Queens of the Royal Houses of Lancaster and York and the Wars of the Roses. The Middle Ages Feudal System and the terrible Black Death which really did plague the period of the Middle Ages.The Middle Ages 1066-1485