Feudalism
By: Clare Maves
Social Classes
Feudalism was developed during the Middle Ages in Europe during a time of violence and chaos. It was established gradually between the eighth and 11th century, and was at its peak from the 11th to the 13th century. Feudalism was developed for safety and to bring order to society. Feudalism was a “this for that” system where land was exchanged for service. It had four main groups: The kings and the popes, the lords, the knights (also known as vassals), and the serfs or peasants.
The kings and popes were at the top of society, next were the lords, then the vassals, and at the bottom of society were the serfs.
Serfs provided food and services when demanded by the knights. Knights, or vassals, provide protection and military service to barons, or lords. Lords provided money and knights for the king.
Kings granted land to the lords, lords granted land to the knights, and knights granted land to the serfs. These lands were known as fiefs. The king owned all the land, while serfs had no land and had to work for a lord or a vassal. They lived in a village near the lord’s castle. Serfs weren’t slaves, but they were not allowed to move away.
Although, kings, lords, vassals, and serfs were not equal, they all played an important role in feudal society.
Feudalism was developed during the Middle Ages in Europe during a time of violence and chaos. It was established gradually between the eighth and 11th century, and was at its peak from the 11th to the 13th century. Feudalism was developed for safety and to bring order to society. Feudalism was a “this for that” system where land was exchanged for service. It had four main groups: The kings and the popes, the lords, the knights (also known as vassals), and the serfs or peasants.
The kings and popes were at the top of society, next were the lords, then the vassals, and at the bottom of society were the serfs.
Serfs provided food and services when demanded by the knights. Knights, or vassals, provide protection and military service to barons, or lords. Lords provided money and knights for the king.
Kings granted land to the lords, lords granted land to the knights, and knights granted land to the serfs. These lands were known as fiefs. The king owned all the land, while serfs had no land and had to work for a lord or a vassal. They lived in a village near the lord’s castle. Serfs weren’t slaves, but they were not allowed to move away.
Although, kings, lords, vassals, and serfs were not equal, they all played an important role in feudal society.
Manor Life
Life on the manor was tough for low class workers; they worked all day. They often slept in the great hall of the manor house which could be very uncomfortable. But the lord and his family had it well and were very comfortable in their manor house. The houses were owned by lords. All of the food for the kitchen was grown on the estate. The solar, or the lord's private chamber, would be lit by large windows. The great hall was also lit by windows. The manor house had its own water supply. The house was often small and made from natural stone.
Feudal Justice
Not only was life tough on the manor, it was also tough in justice. Knights, barons, dukes, and the king all had their own courts. Most of the time the punishment for a wrong-doing would be the payment of a fine. But until the case was settled, the accuser and the accused were treated the same. They were both imprisoned. If the person who accused someone of something lost the case, then he got the same penalty as the person who was accused of something would have gotten.
In a modern day court if you are accused of something, you are still innocent until proven guilty; but in a feudal court you are guilty until you prove your innocence. In some trials it was enough for the person to state their innocence under an oath. In order to do that they had to bring in several “oath-helpers”. “Oath-helpers” were sometimes relatives, but usually neighbors. They would then swear that person was telling the truth. An oath was taken very seriously because it was an appeal to God.
After you have taken an oath you would have an ordeal, to prove your oath was true. There were many forms of ordeals, the most common was by fire. Another ordeal was by hot water. In this ordeal the person would put their arm in boiling water. If the wound healed in three days they were innocent.
Another kind of trial was a judicial duel, where two nobles would fight each other. The person who defeated the opponent won the case. It was believed that God would let the person who was innocent win.
The Decline of Feudalism
There were many reasons for the decline of feudalism:
- The Crusades
- The Peasants Revolt
- Trade
- When peasants moved away to places where they could buy their freedom.
- England started to become a money based economy instead of a land based economy.
- The Black Death which wiped out a third of the population in England giving work that would normally go to upper class men, to serfs and peasants.
All of these issues had a negative affect on the balance of feudalism
The Influence of Feudalism Today
Feudalism positively influenced us today by showing us that we need to treat our workers fairly and pay them the amount of money they deserve. One of the reasons for the Peasants’ Revolt, was because they discovered that they are better than the poor people who are rarely paid and barely have enough food to feed themselves. So from that we learned that we have to treat people fairly and pay them the amount they deserve so people won’t have a need to rebel.
Another way feudalism influenced us today was by showing us that working together is key for a functioning society and that everyones job is important. We learned this from them because of the way the king, lords, vassals, and serfs all interacted in a society. They all needed each other because each one had a certain job and if that job wasn’t done the society would not function. For example if a lord did not grant land to a knight then the lord would not have military service and the knight wouldn’t have land, and without that land the serfs would not have land either. If the serfs didn’t farm land then there would be no food for the vassals or the lords and without food people would starve to death. So even though serfs were at the bottom of society, it wouldn't be able to function without them. That’s why everyones job is important and teamwork is how we can make a functioning society.
Photo Gallery: A Serf's Life
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