Feudalism emerged in Western Europe in the 9th-10th centuries as a political and social system that provided order and protection. Powerful lords divided their lands into fiefs granted to vassals who owed military service in exchange. This system proliferated as government control weakened, with some vassals granting subfiefs to their own vassals. Though hierarchical, feudal relationships were based on mutual obligations between free men rather than servitude.

1. 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
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2. 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
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3. 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
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