The Feudal System

2125 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Medieval England

During the middle Ages, a system called feudalism was developed due to the dangerousness of kingdoms at the time. Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs for a structured society by allowing the allotment or owning of land in exchange for service, loyalty, and employment. Feudalism was a hierarchal system meaning that there was a pyramid of command with the king on the top. During that time the king was believed to have divine right, which means God gave the rule the right to rule that kingdom. The feudal system, a city within a city, was created to maintain order within the kingdom by giving barons parts of the kingdom to rule in exchange for their loyalty to the king.
During the eighth century the roman empire in Europe collapsed because the centralized government under the rule of Charlemagne also known as Charles the Great failed to control the obscure provinces mostly because of the deadlock of transportation and communication; being that the empire was vast and news of invasions, rebellions, outbreaks, and natural disasters was not transmitted easily. After the downfall of the centralized government a system called feudalism, where each part of the kingdom had a ruler who was subordinate to the king, emerged and lasted for about six centuries.
The feudal system was a hierarchal structure which placed God above all else and placed the king right after. Due to the kingdoms being vast and huge; kings gave dukes, counts, barons, knights, bishops, abbots, and other clergymen pieces of their land in exchange for their service. The king performed homage to the person who he contributed land to. Homage was an act that set up the personal relationship between or bond between the nobles and kings. According to Ault, at t...

... middle of paper ...

...tman. Europe in the Middle Ages. Boston: D.C. Heath and, 1937. Print.
Bémont, Charles, and Gabriel Monod. "The Feudal System." Trans. Mary Sloan. Medieval Europe from 395 to 1270, Comp. George Burton Adams. New York: Holt, 1902. 246-67. Print.
Dijkstra, Henk. History of the Ancient & Medieval World. Vol. 9. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1996. Print. The Middle Ages.
Hay, Jeff. "Feudalism as the Basis of Social Order." The Early Middle Ages. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2001. 167-82. Print.
Stephenson, Carl. "Feudalism and Its Antecedents in England." The American Historical Review 48.2 (1943): 245-65. Print.
Stephenson, Carl. "The Origin and Significance of Feudalism." The American Historical Review 46.4 (1941): 788-812. Print.
“Feudalism” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. Web. 9 Nov. 2013

Show More
Related

  • Rome's Contributions To Western Civilization

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • John Sayles' Men With Guns (Hombres Armados)

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    A cruel cycle in which the rich people maintain control and the poor people are trapped with no way to rescue themselves, feudalism is a hierarchical market system. The people with money in Men With Guns are the landlords, the owners of the plantations. These people obviously control the land that they own as well as the profit from the output their land produces, but they also control the government, the army, and consequently, the common people. This near omnipotent control forces the common people into a feudal relationship.

    Read More

  • DBQ On The Middle Ages

    615 Words  | 2 Pages

    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).”

    Read More

  • The Origins and Development of Feudalism

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    In contrast in Germany, kings seem unable to keep a reign on their crown as well as their nobles and other officials. ("HISTORY OF FEUDALISM." HISTORY OF FEUDALISM. ) The structure seems to fall over due to the nobility’s places as second in the Feudalism structure. But in some cases the nobility actually had more money and power than the king himself. This and as well as the other problems discussed would eventually lead to taxing and ruling from a central place, slowly becoming the norm. But, although the system seems to fall apart its customs seem to be made use to other places.

    Read More

  • Feudal System Dbq

    436 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Feudalism In The Middle Ages

    308 Words  | 1 Pages

    Feudalism is a system of land ownership and duties that were used in the Middle Ages. Under feudalism, all the land in a kingdom was the king's. However, the king would give some of his land to the lords or nobles who fought for him. Rulers in all society wanted to create law and order and ensure that people make good use of the society’s resources. That is why feudalism was created. Monarchs had to accept limits on their own personal power. They also needed to respond to expectations that other groups in society have a say in decision-making. People began to use medieval courts for problems that had previously been solved by trial by combat.

    Read More

  • The Middle Ages

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Powell wrote, “…the feudal age is most important for the development of Western Europe: this importance lies chiefly in the process of state-building which had its origins here” (Powell 1). The monarch of this feudal society was responsible for state-building, centralization, and maintaining unity. Therefore, the throne was heredity, so that a single family maintained political power throughou...

    Read More

  • The Feudal System

    511 Words  | 2 Pages

    The feudal system was a political, military, and economic system based on the holding of land. The system was developed since the whole entire basis of rule from all the civilizations before the Middle Ages was lost. Early Europe was in desperate need of such a system since they were constantly being raided by the Vikings and other outsiders.

    Read More

  • The Origins Of Gothic Architecture

    1386 Words  | 3 Pages

    William I first introduced the Feudal System to England. The Normans from the time they settled there had used this system in France. The Feudal System was a simple system where the King owned all lands. The King would decide who he would lease land to. Therefore, only the men who the King could trust were able to lease land from him. Before they were given any land, they had to swear an oath to remain faithful to the king at all times. These men were known as barons.

    Read More

  • Feudalism In Japan And Europe During The Middle Ages

    446 Words  | 1 Pages

    Feudalism is basically soldiers protecting Kings and other leaders because in return, they would receive land grants. It was the most prevalent Social System during the middle ages. The basic principles were that you had certain rights and obligations and in return, you would receive protection from the military, and the system depended on control of land. The Social Pyramid was prominent within Feudalism. At the top of the Social Pyramid was the Kings of course, then next were vassals.

    Read More

  • Roman Feudal System

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    This quote shows how the feudal system was formed out of a need for centralized government and attempted at performing functions that the centralized government once did. This feudal system gave many citizens a form of safety and government in times when they needed it most. Another positive feature of this system was that power was broken up. Instead of having one king or emperor control all of the land, nobles were given different parts of Europe which makes it easier to focus and manage one area of

    Read More

  • The Shift Between The Middle Ages And Renaissance

    1352 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Middle Ages, feudalism served as the “governing political, social, and economic system of late medieval Europe.” Feudalism consisted of feudal liege lords giving land and protection to vassals, common men, in exchange for their allegiance and military service. Although this principle may at first sound like a fair trade, it in actuality restricted the entire society and took away every bit of their independence. In essence, this system could even be compared to a “mini-dictatorship” because the common people relied on ...

    Read More

  • The Importance of Social Class Exposed in The Canterbury Tales

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    Print. "The Middle Ages: Feudal Life." Learner.org. Annenberg Foundation, 2012. Web.

    Read More

  • Are Democratic States More Peaceful?

    2382 Words  | 5 Pages

    Markus Fischer, “Feudal Europe, 800-1300: Communal Discourse and Conflictual Practices”, International Organization Vol. 46, No.2 (Spring 1992), pp. 427-466.

    Read More

  • Western European Feudalism

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    Feudalism first emerged in Europe around 800 C.E. from the leftovers of the Western Roman Empire ("Feudalism European History AP World History," n.d.). Feudalism is a form of political and social organization typical of Western Europe (“Feudalism,” n.d.). The Western Roman Empire fell in 476 C.E. after years of instability. Feudalism was created because the people of Western Europe needed some stable form of political system and protection after the chaos of the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Feudalism proved to be highly self-sufficient.

    Read More

More about The Feudal System

Open Document