Feudalism Essay

Feudalism
Feudalism
FEUDALISM is a disputed term.
Not used at the time. It was invented by jurists in the Renaissance to describe the property laws and
customs of the middle ages. A fief, or feudum, was land held by a man from his lord, in return for
which he was to provide him with knight services and/or financial payments.
Marx contrasted it to capitalism in the widest sense of that word so he inflated the term to mean the
political, social, economic, and cultural system of Medieval Europe.
A economic system governed not by market relationships but by custom and force.
Marx and Smith both saw it as an economy and society marked by poverty, exploitation, and
inequality. Squashes manorialism, feudalism, Christianity all together....show more content...
Everyone came out to greet him, big parade. A diplomatic mission?
No, the Byzantine empire was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had tried to reclaim the west and
lost. They had to pay off the Persians to keep them from attacking and they were beset on all
sides by Muslims. They came to Rome to rob it blind. They took whatever was left in the treasury
(not much), and he had his men strip every bit of lead and bronze off every fixture that they could
find. They used it to make fitting for shields, armor, horse rigging, etc. And the lead was for pellets
that were slung at armies.
Most of the stonework of Rome was held together with lead clamps. The Byzantines took these, so
everything in Rome began to fall apart. From figuratively to literally.
And the lead? Most of the building were made out of wood, but were protected with sheets of lead
and all of the gutters and downspouts were made out of lead, as were all the pipes that distributed
water through the city.
The slabs that held back the Tiber river were made out of stone. During the next flood, the entire
bank collapsed, taking with it most of the nearby merchant district and all of the warehouses.
Houses, now unprotected, began to rot and roofs caved in.
Without water coming in through the pipes, the sewers began quickly to become clogged.
The main sewer of the entire city, the Cloaca Maxima, ran beneath the form. When it finally stopped
up, all of
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Causes And Effects Of Feudalism
The Medieval period lasted between the decline of Roman Empire and the Renaissance. It stretched
from the fifth century to fifteenth century, accompanied by federalism, invasions, and the supreme
authority of the Church. During 500 to 1500, constant warfare had caused a period of turmoil in
Europe. Kings weren't able to defend their territories efficiently, hence, people no longer looked up
to central power for protection. In the response to increasing mounted knights and disintegration of
centralization, feudalism arose as a new pattern of society. Mutual obligations were exchanged for
military protection and lands. Regarding to the uncertainties of safety, people began to look for
consolation. The Church began to dominate the aspects of life and served as a stable power for
souls. However, maleficent byproducts were introduced to Europe. Brutal aristocracy and waves of
invasion...show more content...
During this period, people searched for forces that could offer them protection. Local rulers
developed into a more reliable power than kings. The lord would distribute the lands to his vassals.
In the return, the vassal needed to serve the lord with loyalty and with military protection (Document
4). An excerpt from the Homage Oath taken by John of Toul promised to send lands to mounted
knights who served him (Document 2). It stated how feudalism depended on the control of fiefs and
how two–sided bargain functioned. Individual lords were supreme in their own ruling territories,
kings held power that were superficial in reality. The manor system had demonstrated the feudal
social classes and illustrated the common phenomenon during the Middle Ages. Understanding the
growing social structure of feudalism, central government had gradually lose its prestige and
influence. It emphasised the label of the Age of Faith with ascendancy of feudalism and the fading of

Feudalism: A Military Based Society
The system of feudalism was a way that everyone could get the things they needed through mutual
relationships. Feudalism worked because of the loyalty of the people and the influential church.
Furthermore, the manor also contributed to supporting feudalism. Each and every role was
important in this system and it wouldn't have worked without the farmers. Feudalism is a military
based society that has mutualistic relationships which help the people meet their needs and this
system would not work without the roles of peasants. Feudalism was a system where everyone
relied on each other through trust, loyalty, and different social classes. It was created when
Germanic tribes made the Roman Empire fall. Germanic culture did not have a written language and
most of Rome's learning, science, and technology was...show more content...
The king has everything, but he must keep his respect and all his things. The king needed loyal
people to work the land and he also needed an army to protect the land. The king expected his lord
to supply him with a great army, in return from the king giving the lord land (Biel 9). The king had
an official/sheriff put together a small army of knights that helped fulfill the king's wishes
throughout the kingdom. The sheriffs also collected a type of income tax for the King which
helped the king fiance the armies that protected his kingdom (Biel 18). The King was the highest
rank and he provided land for his vassals. The king divided his whole kingdom into 50–60 fiefs and
his role was to give out land (Biel 9). The kingdoms were divided into duchies, earldoms, or
countries, for the king's vassals. Their land was then divided into smaller fiefs again and again until
the lowest rank got land (Biel 10). The king was the highest rank and he had everything, but he also
had to keep his people's loyalty and everything he

Ap European Feudal System Essay
Feudalism began in Europe during 850–950. It can be defined as a system of governing and
landholding. The feudal system is based on rights and obligations. In exchange for military
protection and other services, a landowner, or lord, granted land, or fief, to someone, who was
called the vassal. An example of this system is shown with Charles the Simple and Rollo. Rollo,
the head of a viking army, had been plundering and leading raids on the Seine River Valley for
years. Charles the Simple, the king of France at the time, granted Rollo a piece of French territory
if he would stop these raids in return. Charles the Simple would have been the lord in this situation,
while Rollo was the vassal. Other rulers and warriors during this time made similar agreements in
many parts of Europe.
The feudal society is structured like a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is the king, and then the
most powerful vassals such as nobles and bishops. Beneath these vassals are knights, who serve
their king in exchange for fiefs. At the bottom of the pyramid are the landless peasants. In the feudal
system, status determines a person's prestige and power. Social class is inherited from previous
generations. During the Middle Ages, most people were peasants. These peasants were...show more
content...
The lord provides the serfs with housing, farmland, and protection from bandits, and in return,
serfs tends the lord's lands and care for his animals. All peasants, no matter if they are free or serf,
owe the lord certain duties, which includes a few days of labor each week and a certain portion of
the peasants' grain. Peasants don't usually travel more than 25 miles from their own manor. A
manor covers only a few square miles of land, and consists of the lord's house, a church, and
workshops. The manor is a self–sufficient community, with the serfs and peasants raising or
producing nearly everything that they and their lord need for daily

The Rise and Fall of Feudalism
Xiang Wei
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.
The rise of Feudalism was a direct result of insecurity that caused by several significant historical
factors. At first, the collapse of Roman Empire that led to prolonged unrest and power struggles was
essentially a reason for why Europe was divided into many small states. The frequent fights among
those states made people suffered from violence and insecurity. Even though Charlemagne united
those states and Europe lasted for a period time of peace, Holy Roman Empire...show more content...
The revival of commerce and the widespread use of money changed the relations between feudal
lord and serf. Some lords began to rent out their lands to tenant farmers. Using those lands, serfs
engaged themselves into trade, which allowed them to substitute a money payment for their
feudal obligations and become tenant farmers. In the 14th century, the labor shortage caused by
the Black Death led to a rise of bargaining power of serfs; many serfs' wages raised and became
able to purchase their freedom while feudal lords lost their power by the end of the Medieval
Europe. At third, as stability and security in Europe gradually came back, the existence of a feudal
knight's military service became unnecessary. What monarchs were more willing to do is assemble
large mercenary armies at relatively low cost. Based on all of the factors above, feudalism was
replaced by a system of government that brought the birth of modern capitalism.
In conclusion, while feudalism functioned very well in the insecure and undeveloped period of
early Middle Ages, its end was inevitable under the powerful push of historical trend in terms of
politics and

15th Century Feudalism
Before the end of the 15th century, farmers had some sense of financial freedom through their
relationship to the property. Several people lived on ten to thirty acreages of land. The land was
preserved by the ruler but assigned to one of his nobles to who the laborers paid rent. In exchange
for the rent peasants had some common rights to graze stock, cut wood, draw water, or cultivate
harvests on the noble's land. Such communal privileges gave the laborers some financial
individuality. They grew their own crops; grazed animals and recycled their wastes to fertilize their
gardens. This was the system of feudalism. Because life was socially and economically congregated,
the laborers had a diminutive chance to expand their custom of living.

Medieval Feudalism Essay
As children, we grew up with a picture of the medieval European society to be a fairy tale, where
everyone had wonderful lives. As it is also stated in the book about how Disney–interpretations
ignores the level of oppression under feudalism. In the medieval times the social and economic
system ran based on the European feudalism, which caused various problems for majority of the
population. The Europeans feudalism consisted of 90 percent of their population being peasant, then
5 percent being knights, the other 5 percent being the nobles and royalty. This was the structure of
the medieval feudalism and what might have led to the Europe to colonization.
The lower class were majority of the population that consisted of the peasants and serfs. In the...show
more content...
Feudal lords got в…” of the production, and the serfs got ВЅ; so, they were completely
impoverished" (Cottin,29). This demonstrate how little the lower class got even though they
were majority of the population and did all labor. The lords of the manors even had power to do
what they wish, since they had the law at their feet. An example as stated, "The brutal system
includes a law called "Rite de seigneur," which mandated that the feudal lord could be the first to
sleep with the bride of his serf on her wedding night" (Cottin,30). The nobles were very greedy
and wanted more wealth for themselves so in Britain, they passed the Enclosure Acts. In which
the nobles used it to get rid of the commoners and use it as a private property to produce more
wealth. Which they did by using the land to raise sheep to get wools. As stated "Wool became the
backbone and driving force of the medieval English economy between the late 13th century and the
late 15th century, and at the time the trade was described as the jewel in the realm" (Cottin,31).
This destroyed the Noblesse Oblige, which provide Serfs housing and food to eat, In exchange for
their labor. Now nowhere to go, they became refugees in their own

European Feudalism
Feudalism was a political and economic system in the Middle Ages. It occured from around the
5th century to the 12th century. It is based on land ownership, loyalty, and protective alliances.
European feudalism rose when invaders started to attack Europe and it only existed in some parts of
Europe. In a feudal system, a lord would grant land called a fief to a worker. This worker was known
as a vassal, and in return for getting the land, the vassal would be able to get military protection. In
911 AD, Rollo, the head of a viking army, was granted a large piece of land by king Charles. This
land was known as a fief. King Charles was the king of France, and when he granted Rollo the large
piece of land, Rollo pledged his loyalty to the king. During

Feudalism In Medieval Europe
ife was extremely difficult for those living during the Middle Ages. Many people were illiterate,
and relied mainly on their beliefs. The people believed that fate ruled their existence; therefore,
there was little hope for improving their condition. During the years of the Roman Empire, the
peasants, or poor citizens of the empire, were protected by the soldiers of the emperor. After the
fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D., the peasants longed for protection. There were no laws
protecting these peasants, so they turned to the lords to keep the peace and to act on their behalf.
The willingness exemplified by the peasants to be ruled by the lords led to the beginnings of the
dominant social system in Medieval Europe: feudalism.
Feudalism is simply defined as land exchanged for work. However, feudalism entails a more
complicated aspect: a social hierarchy in which protection and military service was exchanged for
homage, labor, and a share of the produce. R.J. Barendense, an author of the Journal of World
History, states that feudalism is "...a specific world historic juncture in which peasant societies
were subjugated by an aristocracy of mounted warriors that became more powerful than any central
institution and increasingly appropriated the jurisdiction over the peasants, and thus the land
revenue." In other worlds, the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service,
and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants, or serfs, were obliged to live on
their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for
military protection. Feudalism established an ultimate system of control for medieval society,
providing a degree of cohesiveness in a society that lacked an adequate bureaucracy or method of
taxation.
As stated, feudalism was simply a system of government in which people were given land and
protection by people of a higher rank. The lower class worked fought for the upper class in return.
In feudalism, the main Feudal Hierarchy consisted of the King, the Nobles, the Knights, and the
Peasants, who were called serfs.
The King was the highest person according to the feudal system. A king had the duty of controlling
his

Medieval Feudalism
After the fall of the Roman empire, there was need for a new government system, that new system
was Feudalism. Feudalism was a system made of giving and receiving, it was designed to include
all members of every class. Knights were key members of the feudal system, offering their
protection to the serfs, and their loyalty to upperclassmen, in turn they received land, money and
serfs to rule over and protect. Feudalism was essential to building a strong, successful and wealthy
military. The church had a strong influence on the people of the medieval ages and affected
everyone's lives. The church's system of the Great Chain of Being, influenced the feudal system
though social class views. The new system of feudalism greatly affected the middle...show more
content...
Many people respected knights for their bravery and their heroic acts. All members looked up to the
knights because of their bravery and relations with upper class citizens. Knights were in charge of
protecting a lord or vassal as well, and for that reason they were highly respected (Nardo 31). The
lords and Kings were the most important people in the Middle Ages, and anyone who would protect
the, was greatly respected by all. These knights were models for everyone on their land (Smith,
Andrew 2). Not only were they models and heroic figures for their jobs of protecting the lord and
King, but they were also considered extremely brave and some even considered them heroes.
Being a knight came with many advantages with the higher class citizens. By having relations
with higher class citizens, knights were more likely to get a rich and upper class wife (Nardo
31). An upper class couple received many more be idiots for themselves, as well as their future
heirs. They also received many other advantages from being a knight. Knights were able to live in
or around castles that belonged to important figures. They also received a great deal of money and
the respect of many from their social status in the Middle Ages (Nardo 29). The respect and
advantages given with being a knight made it all worth

Feudalism
Explain how the system known as "feudalism" worked in Medieval Europe.
The bases of feudalism is best described as a social system in Europe throughout the Middle Ages
where individuals worked and battled for upper class who gave them protection and the use of the
land in return for their services (Merriam–Webster). "Feudalism" is not a medieval term and not even
a translation of a medieval concept (Abels 2010; Brown 2010; Bouchard 1998). In our day and
time Feudalism would be difficult and baffling in several ways, but some may feel that we would
benefit from it.
During this time the social class depended on how much land you owned. Royalty in your Kings
and Queens was part of the upper class; the noble lords and vassals followed the...show more
content...
The attacks were unsuspecting on the towns and villages so that they couldn't maintain order. All the
while this was taking place the Frankish Empire was falling apart. They begin to fight among each
other for the Kingdom. They became a disorder society. Life may have been not suitable for some
but feudalism turned dysfunction into order during a violent time.
What was its impact on the mission of the church?
The Church was the absolute most predominant foundation in medieval life, its impact invading
practically every part of individuals' lives. Its religious observances often shape to the plan; its
customs checked every minute in a person 's life; and its lessons supported standard convictions
about morals, the significance of life and existence. Church in Western Europe was recognized as the
Roman Catholic Church went from the religion of the Roman Empire to the official religion and the
most powerful institution of the Middle Ages. All of Europe had been converted to Christianity by
the year 1000. Although this process was peaceful at times but other times it got downright ugly.
The inclusion of the church in the system became a political reality. The unsettled conditions
caused by the Viking and Magyar invasions forced church officials to enter into close relations with
the only power able to offer them protection. Bishops and abbots thus became vassals, receiving
fiefs for which they were obligated to provide the usual feudal services. The

The Effects of Feudalism Essay
In Medieval times during the 10th and 13th centuries, a form of political and social organization
called feudalism was a way of life that had great effect on people of the time and on the modern
world. Feudalism was developed because of the weakness of Europe and it's kings. The word
feudalism comes from the word fief, which was the land held on condition of feudal service, similar
to an estate (English). The fiefs bound together lords and vassals. Feudalism was a structure in which
a lord divided his land into smaller parts to give to lesser lords ("Feudalism"). A noble, or lord,
was in control of his manor. The manor was the heart of feudal economy (Ellis and Esler 222). A
manor often consisted of the castle, a church, a village, and...show more content...
Life as a serf or peasant was not easy. Serfs were bound to their lord's land and required to do
services for him. Although they could not be sold like slaves, they had no freedom (Ellis and Esler
219–244). Peasants farmed for the goods that the lord and his manor needed. They went through
difficult hardship because of this. Peasants were heavily taxed and had to provide for themselves the
goods that they needed ("The Middle Ages"). According to the medieval law, the peasants were not
considered to 'belong to' themselves ("The Middle Ages"). Although serfs were peasants and had
relatively the same duties and similar rights, what differentiated a peasant from a serf was that a
peasant was not bound to the land ("The Middle Ages"). Peasants had no schooling and no
knowledge of the outside world (Ellis and Esler 219–244). They rarely traveled more than a couple
miles outside of their villages. All members of a peasant family, including children, tended crops,
farmed, and did some sort of work to help out (Ellis and Esler 224). Very few peasants lived past
the age of 35 because of hunger in the winter and the easy development and transmission of
disease (Ellis and Esler 224). Women in this time lived a hard life as well. Regardless of their status
in society, they were tied to household tasks ("The Middle Ages"). This including duties such as
cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, sewing, and baking. Along with these jobs, women
also

The Importance Of Feudalism In Europe
Real Draft Feudalism in Europe during the middle ages came out of the necessity for both order
and protection from the attacks and raids of the Vikings or Germanic warriors who traveled and
pillaged Europe around the 5th to the 11th century. The Roman Empire's destruction in the 5th
century A.D., along with rulers failing to maintain their authority and rule allowed nobles and
those in power to take more power of the areas that were under them. The people's protections that
were more common under a centralized government, as in the times of the Roman Empire
vanished. As such, the peasants and the lower class found it necessary to negotiate with local
rulers for security from enemy forces. This system included lords and serfs. Now, the nobles
were stark contrasts to the peasants. Nobles exercised greater power economically, politically,
and in other areas. Serfs could include servants, and peasant farmers. A lord could give land to
these people in exchange for protection. This process of giving land as payment or reward was
also known as a fief. In order to recognize the importance of how the feudal system came to be, as
well as analyzing its strengths and weaknesses, we must go back in time to briefly see how the
Roman Empire governed. In the Roman Empire, there were opportunities for aspiring men to
achieve a better life. A main example is seen through their governing system. During this time, Curus
Honorum was in effect. This was designed for Roman senators.

Feudalism: A Way For People In The Middle Ages
Feudalism was a way for people in the Middle Ages to be divided into different sections, some to
be looked down upon and some to be held at the upmost respect. Feudalism was a necessity in
times of turmoil, it kept peace, provided a sense of control and protection for those in need.
Feudalism was a complex social system, that defined how each class was connected. At the top of
the feudal system was the King, him and his queen were respected by all. They were the most
important people in the system. The king officially ruled the kingdom, but because a kingdom is
heavily populated, he appoints his subjects to take control over certain task. Which are the nobles
and knights, whom both swore their loyalty and sovereignty to their king. Their

Feudal Europe Essay
There have been several key time periods that have changed the face of society such as; the hunter
gatherer nomadic lifestyle to agriculture, classical antiquities, the Middle Ages renaissance,
reformation to modern times. In a lecture for History and Social Change at the University of
Abertay Dundee, W Mcneish describes history as being a "contested terrain with the views of the
historian giving their perception of events". This essay will discuss the key features of the feudal
period and the key processes leading to the transition of this society from a sociological perspective
covering; the rise of feudalism, the hierarchical structure of feudal Europe, the feudal mode of
production, urban life, the role of religion and finally, the...show more content...
Bartlett (2008) intimates that if the Lords dominated the law of the land, the Church controlled the
morality of the medieval min, constantly interfering in people's lives from birth to death "Spewing
forth fire and brimstone from the pulpit" creating fear with myth and superstition. Women were
vilified as the root of evil since it was they who caused original sin. Women were devoid of rights
and effectively the property of their fathers then husbands.
Harman (2008) alludes to exploitation of the Serfs as the Lords requisite. He extorted maximum
dues. However, some of the surplus was invested in new technology such as, a new design of iron
plough, stiff harness for horses making ploughing faster and cattle grazing on and fertilising the
land. The mechanical water mill and the introduction of crop rotation escalated production by 50%.
Food then could be traded as a commodity for goods. Other advances were; the fly wheel, rudders
for boats, eye glasses, stirrups, crossbow, gunpowder, the wheel barrow and pedal loom.
By contrast Anderson (1978) indicates how the towns were bustling with merchants and craftsman
controlling the urban economy. Regulatory guilds were introduced from the 12th century which had
some civic power. However, the feudal lord was still

Feudalism During The Middle Ages
Feudalism was a social and political system based on granting land in return for loyalty that
helped create order in society. During the Middle Ages there was no central government for the
people, this is due to the fall of the Roman Empire. Due to this loss a central military was unable to
form to give people protection. The only protection people could get was by forming groups of
farmers who could only fight part time due to harvesting. Because of this groups such as the
Muslims from the south, along with the Vikings and Magyars from the North and East, leftEurope in
disarray and in fear. Landowners even made small armies to defend there lands! Due to this threat
of war and the people not being able to get their needs for survival they

Feudalism In Medieval Europe
Around 800 AD, a new concept called feudalism was developing. This system defined the destiny
of every person born in Europe during that time, and it was formed to bring a sense of ranking to
European society. Feudalism was Medieval Europe's way to organize the social relations between
three classes: the nobles, the clergy, and the common people. The nobles consisted of the king and
his knights. When the king would decide to go to war, he would give away fiefs or parts of his
land to his vassals. The vassals had an oath called fealty: they would participate in the king's army
for two months out of the year in return for the land. This chain went on–and–on, making nearly
everyone a lord and vassal. The commoners on the fiefs were either serfs

Feudalism Inequalities
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe had forsaken its history of empires and republics,
immersing itself into a system built upon inequalities. Feudalism resulted in a consequential
hierarchy in which each level had a role that directly benefitted the entire society. Not only enforced
by the people, feudalism was enforced by their religion of Christianity; the Medieval Church
advocating for the belief that humanity was born unequal, kings justly superior to peasants, a
reminder for every individual to know their place. King John, a man whose desires for power led to
his own ruin, would be known as the king whose actions inadvertently induced to the conception of a
precedential document which would bring a start to the end of the Middle...show more content...
Feudalism, an order which had arisen from the urge for strength through possessions and status, had
been founded by the desires of those in power, who had taken advantage of the needs of the weak,
creating the system which had dominated Medieval Europe for centuries. Developing due to the
kings' inabilities to hold and protect their lands, there was no dominant political power or effective
central leadership within feudalism–no state or empire. Unlike the ancient civilizations of old,
political decisions and economics were controlled primarily by local leaders, who commanded
private military forces of their own power (Smith). The word feudalism originates from feudum, the
medieval Latin word for fief, or possession. Feudalism emerged in the middle of the 9th century,
peaking in the 12th and 13th centuries (King 25). The social hierarchy which rose in consequence of
the very being of feudalism was one in which those born within the Middle Ages were born into a
permanent position in society, unable to defy the fate which had been believed to be given to them,
as they believed they were undeserving of anything other than the life and status which God had
given them

Feudalism In The Middle Ages Research Paper
THESIS STATEMENT Feudalism in the Middle Ages was a key component when it came to the
organization of society.
PURPOSE STATEMENT The focal point of this paper is to prove the importance of feudalism in
the medieval period. The paper yields factual information about the upper, middle, and lower class of
this era.
INTRODUCTION
In the Middle Ages, the people heavily relied on feudalism as a social system in Europe. Feudalism
gained popularity after William I and his Norman soldiers seized the English land. In exchange for
the military services, King William I showed gratitude to his army by dividing portions of land to
each of them. The lands were called manors and the soldiers were titled lords. "It was a simple, but
effective system, where...show more content...
Peasants were the lowest of all the social classes and had little to none privileges; they worked on
the lord's manor. Peasants lived in the village community. The freemen were poor farmers. They
were not allowed to step foot out of the land. They worked under the rule of the lord. Serfs owned
no property they were borderline slaves, but were considered without the title of one. Serfs must
have consent from their lord when it came to marriage. Their jobs were laborious and physically
intensive. "Landless peasants... did most of the work on the fiefs: They planted and harvested crops
and gave most of the produce to the landowner" (History.com). Serfs tend to plants and mend
equipment, and hunt and gather food. With a hut–like house, half is for livestock. The meals were
simple: vegetables, porridge, bread, and cheese. The serfs worked on the land and did not
possess anything. The land was corrupt, since the serfs worked on the land for the lord, then they
were charged for making use of the land. They were paid via labor and food. There was a fee for
everything such as, using the mill to pulverise grain and using the oven to bake

Essay on Feudalism
Feudalism
Western Europe suffered numerous hardships through the ninth and tenth centuries and this was the
ultimate reason they established a new political organization which was known as feudalism. By
providing honor, protection, and a sense of control, this new social system revived peace and order
in Western Europe after the fall of the Carolingian Empire. Feudalism was a necessary ingredient to
yield stability in during these times of calamity. The primary motive behind creating this
organization was to render protection to the people since the government was unable to do so.
Instead of depending on the Government as their defense, people resorted to finding a powerful lord
who could grant protection in exchange for...show more content...
Then they would grant portions of this land to vassals who in return would fight for their lord.
The relationship between the lord and vassal became official by having a public ceremony. In the
ceremony the vassal would perform an act of homage to his lord. This alliance was based on
loyalty. During the ninth century, the land that was granted to a vassal was now known as a fief.
After owning the land for a while, many vassals would possess the power to exercise rights of
jurisdiction or political and legal authority within their fiefs. When the Carolingian political system
began to fall, because of numerous invasions and internal differences, various powerful lords arose.
Now it was the people's job to keep order, they could no longer depend on the government. Since
number of lords substantially increased, the number of vassals multiplied also. This abundant
increase brought about the development of subinfeudation. This is where fief–holding became
complicated. Vassals of a king might also have vassals who might owe them military service for land
that was granted to them. These vassals sometimes also had other vassals under them who might
only have enough land to provide their equipment. Even though this system brought about greater
and lesser landowners, this relationship was still honorable. Since this was a willing relationship
between free men, it was not based on servitude. This

Feudalism Essay

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