Feudalism: Lord and King

The Feudal System was introduced to England following the invasion of the country by William I. The system had been used in France by the Normans from the time they first settled there in about 900AD. It was a simple, but effective system, where all land was owned by the King. One quarter was kept by the King as his personal property, some was given to the church and the rest was rented out under strict controls. The King was in complete control under the Feudal System. He owned all the land in the country and decided who he would rent land to. He only allowed those men he could trust to rent land from him. Before they were given any land they had to swear an oath to remain faithful to the King at all times. The men who rented land from the King were known as Barons; they were wealthy, powerful and had complete control of the land they rented from the King. Barons rented land from the King which was known as a manor. They were known as the Lord of the Manor and were in complete control of this land. They established their own system of justice, made their own money and set their own taxes. In return for the land they had been given by the King, the Barons had to serve on the royal council, pay rent and provide the King with Knights for military service when he requested it. They also had to provide lodging and food for the King and his court when they travelled around the country. The Barons kept as much of their land as they wished for their own use, then divided the rest among their Knights. Barons were very rich. Knights were given land by a Baron in return for military service when requested by the King. They also had to protect the Baron, his family, and the manor from attack. The age of feudalism was the era in which there was no central government and land was controlled by lords and nobles. The way of life for people was based on the feudal system which was when people In this system, services in a system where obligations bound lords and their subjects