Feudalism Explained
Feudalism was the political, economic, and social system that organized medieval Europe from roughly the 9th to 15th centuries.
The Basic Structure
King: Owned all land in theory. Granted estates (fiefs) to nobles in exchange for military service.
Lords (Nobles): Held fiefs from the king. Owed military service and loyalty. Granted portions to lesser nobles.
Knights: Lesser nobles who fought as cavalry. Held small fiefs or served in lords' households.
Peasants/Serfs: Worked the land. Most were serfs — bound to the manor, not free to leave.
The Feudal Contract
The system was based on mutual obligations:
- Land (fief)
- Protection
- Justice
- Military service (typically 40 days/year)
- Financial payments
- Counsel and loyalty
This was formalized through homage — a ceremony where the vassal knelt and swore loyalty.
Manorialism
The economic base of feudalism. The manor was a self-sufficient estate:
- Lord's land (demesne) worked by peasants
- Peasant plots for subsistence
- Common lands for grazing
- Mill, church, blacksmith
- Labor on lord's land
- Portion of harvest
- Fees for using mill, oven, etc.
Why Feudalism Developed
- Kings couldn't pay standing armies
- Defense required local organization
- Land was the main source of wealth
Decline
- Black Death (labor shortage gave peasants power)
- Rise of professional armies (paid with money, not land)
- Growing towns and trade (created wealth outside land)
- Stronger monarchies
By 1500, feudalism was fading in Western Europe.
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