![]() Each vassal would owe their existence to their Lord, and in return pay them vassalage for the privilege. Feudal Lordsįeudal society relied upon their Feudal Lords for the land they lived and worked on. A structure that would last for centuries, and form the basis of the social classes seen today. This platform would be able to resist invasion, rebellions and threats to the king. In short, Feudalism developed as a way for medieval societies to protect themselves. Having each social tier pledging allegiance to their Lord and providing the military, financial and farming services, produced a seemingly orderly platform to govern the country from. Feudalism, brought over by the Normans to England, offered a structure that could protect the country while bringing control to each local area. Individual warlords seized local lands, and there was no way to control all the regions. This forms the fourth tier of the Feudal pyramid.įeudalism arose in western Europe because the security of the Roman Empire had collapsed. In exchange, the villeins and serfs would work the land, providing food and services to their Lord, the knight. As part of the agreement, the knights also had to protect their Lord's (the tenants-in-chief 's) manor from attack.Įach knight would keep as much of his fief as he liked, and the rest would be divided up among his villeins and serfs. This forms the third tier of the Feudal pyramid. ![]() This forms the first and second tiers of the Feudal pyramid.Įach tenant-in-chief would divide up his fief among his knights, in return for loyalty, protection and military services. He would grant his favoured noblemen, the tenants-in-chief (Dukes, Earls and Barons), land which included houses, animals, tools and even peasants. In exchange, the tenants-in-chief would swear an oath of allegiance to the King, along with supplies of soldiers and money. So what is Feudalism and how did it work? As defined above, Feudalism incorporates a pyramid of social hierarchy, with the King sitting at the top. Peasants who were not freemen, were owned by the Lord, and were sold with the land upon which they worked. Serfs did not have any land, instead they worked on their Lord's manor house lands, providing common services.įree Peasants rented land from their Lord and had freedom to move about. ![]() Villeins held land given to them by their Lord, the knight, but were not allowed to sell it. Villeins and Serfs were Peasants who belong to the Knights in the fourth tier of the Feudal pyramid. Vassals are the free men who hold a fief given to them by their Lord. In Feudalism, the fief is land granted, and all that comes with it (houses, peasants etc). Fiefs are a source of income, that is granted to a person of lower status (Vassal), in exchange for services. In short, the system was based around the ownership of land by kings and lords who would allow lesser lords, vassals, and peasants to live on and cultivate the land in exchange for legal and military commitments.Fiefs and Vassals are terms that are commonly associated with Feudalism. The term was not used during this period but was coined by historians in the 18th century to easily reference the system. Feudalism definitionįeudalism is a term that refers to the socio-political system that structured society in Europe during the High Medieval Ages, ranging from 1000 AD to 1300 AD. The feudal system served as a mechanism for kings to rule their kingdoms in an unstable medieval Europe. Feudal laws were so intricate that one made it into the 21st century, with Scotland abolishing the system's remaining legislature through the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Sc) Act 2000. Feudalism took over Europe from the 9th century and was the dominant system of governance up until the 15th century. If you understood that joke, great! You probably have a basic understanding of the feudal system. Within a feudal system, a person's vote did not count however, their Count voted. International Climate Change Agreements.Slavery and the Constitutional Convention.Philosophy of the Declaration of Independence.
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