Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

The Decline Of Feudalism

Satisfactory Essays
253 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Decline Of Feudalism
The decline of feudalism occurred in the late middle ages. Many different things such as the black plague, changes in warfare, and increasing power of nobility caused the decline of feudalism.

One of the reasons that feudalism ended was the black plague. The black plague was a bacterial infection that passed throughout Europe killing many people. After it had died down it is estimated that over a quarter of Europe?s overall population was killed. This also weakened the bonds of feudalism because vassals were worried for there own health and forgot their responsibilities.

Some people believe that military technology was the largest reason for the decline. For one the long bow is a trajectory arrow that has enough power to rip through most armor, therefore overcoming foot soldiers (knights). Second gunpowder lead to the creation of cannons which, when used with planning, decimated castles of all sizes. Without foot soldiers or castles as a safe haven, warfare was made a significantly hard task. Thus also contributing to the decline of feudalism.

However, most people believe that the decline of feudalism was mainly caused by the growing power of the monarchy. This means that as kings and lords grew stronger that became less and less dependent on their ?ties of loyalty,? to one another. Once the kings and lords got strong enough to mainly fend for them selves? feudalism was at its end.

In conclusion many things such as the black plague, increasing power of nobility, and technology in warfare led to the decline and end of feudalism.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    How did changes in military technology and warfare contribute to the collapse of the feudal system in Europe?…

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Another category that some civilizations are divided into is based upon religion. In these next instances, religion has a remarkable hold over a member of the feudal system’s responsibilities and rights. Document 3, a charter of donation written in 854 C.E in the city of Winchester, is one of the first of three documents that mention religion in addition to the feudal system. It is also a primary source, meaning it is a first-hand account of something that was said (or done). The speaker in this document, “Athelwulf, king of the West-Saxons,” states that by the advice of his bishops and nobles, “thereof adopted the wholesome expedient of granting forever some portion of my kingdom to God and the holy Mary, and all saints….” This statement…

    • 1967 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Western Europe The Crusades helped end feudalism and with the conditions helped create the Renaissance.…

    • 188 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    From the late medieval era to the enlightenment a series of plagues devastated European society, economy, and social/political structure. In the Middle Ages, the Black Plague (or Death) was a pandemic that killed nearly 2/3 of the population in Europe, and lead to the downfall of the feudal system. The groups that benefited the most from the changes caused by the Black Death were peasants and laborers reaction toward the calamity ranged from rational and proactive to irrational, egoistic, and even criminal. Over all, the human devastation revealed a growth over time in government role and the role of the educated class in serving society, while uncovering a persistent criticism of the upper classes and the common people.…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The effects of the Crusades led to the weakening of the feudal system and were a major element causing the fall of Constantinople. The Crusades had a lasting effect on many things, but specifically feudalism. Throughout medieval Europe, feudalism remained, but it was severely weakened by the crusades. Feudalism relied on the lords (nobles) giving fiefs (units of land) and protection to the vassals (receiving persons), and in return, the vassals would fight for the lords. This system also relied on the serfs, who would work the lord's land and grow crops, and in return, would be able to live on the lord's land and have a stable living condition.…

    • 136 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    At a time when their governments could not sustain a stable centralized power, Japan and Western Europe both adapted their governments to fit their needs and adopted the feudal system. Although, the reasons why these two areas turned to feudalism are different, both societies had many centuries of this similar type of government. European feudalism was influenced most likely by the fall of the Roman empire and Germanic tribes (and other external forces) who had tried to invade them. Japan, on the other hand, adopted the system to settle internal disputes in the country and to split up the land between the nobility; Japanese feudalism developed because of internal attacks by groups of uncontrolled armies and had a more military aspect. Japan would later discover that the structure of having smaller feudal systems was bad for their economy. However, both Japan and Western Europe formed feudalistic societies to provide protection and stability for everyone.…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    He believes that the Bubonic Plague was the culprit. The Black Plague devastated population numbers which in turn threw the economy into flux. In this new changing economy, the main resource of the nobles and gentry, land, was “...artificially inflating beyond an acceptable working price”. This “...suited suited lesser landowners better than greater ones,” because they could more easily respond to altering circumstances and they had fewer financial obligations. Wealthier individuals with minimal land commitments could better adapt to a changing a society, thus they prospered as the nobles languished. The nobles primarily constituted the knightly class so as they lost their affluence, they could no longer afford to be knights. It was extremely costly to be a knight; the armor was expensive, the squires were expensive and the horses were expensive. Without the financial resources to maintain quality armor, horses and squires, knights were forced to relinquish their position in society.…

    • 1434 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Black Death and Hundred Years War caused a massive loss of life that destroyed the European population which led to the downfall of agriculture and rise of prices. The Black Death was a big deal because it “…was the first major disease to strike Europe since the seventh century…” and the people did not know how to react (Spielvogel 305). Many thought they were being punished by God or that the devil was causing it, no matter what one believed the Black Death hurt the government and almost caused most of Europe to become an anarchy. The people “…began living for the moment…” not caring what they were doing and the government was too scared to stop them which caused chaos (Spielvogel 307). Social upheaval was everywhere, peasants were revolting because of the economy and they were being treated unfairly. To make matters worse there was a political instability that caused a war, the Hundred Years War. The war started for many reasons which one can overall sum up as confusion over a piece of land between the French and the English, and the war lasted for a long time bringing even more death and pain to…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    After the fall of Rome, Feudalism took hold as the new form of political organization instead of kings and local nobility. As a result, there was no longer a strong government to maintain the quality and safety of roads and bridges for public use and ravel became dangerous and even more difficult. The lords who stood at the top of the Feudalism hierarchy did not need trade to run their manors as most were self-sustaining, so none tried to improve the traveling situation. This caused traveling among the general populous to decrease, and in turn, trading decreased.…

    • 1559 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Middle Ages was a hard time for Europe throughout the years 500-1500 CE. Central government struggled in this time that was also known as the Dark Ages. Medicines were very simple at the time and serious diseases were hardly ever cured. A serious outbreak during this time was the Black Death. This was a plague that could not be cured by the medicines of it's time. During the Middle Ages, the Black Death was a violent disease with horrible signs. It spread through carriers who brought it to Europe where it killed many and spread throughout the area.…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    English contemporary observer Henry Knighton wrote, “In this year 1348 and in the following one there was a general mortality of people throughout the whole world.” This was the start of his account of the Black Death. Also known as the bubonic plague, this devastating disease quickly spread around Western Europe, killing many. It had several significant effects in the 14th century, most of them for the worse. Europe took a long time to recover from the societal, cultural, and economical turmoil. This destruction is what made it a major turning point for the middle ages.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When talking about Europe’s history, it’s impossible not to mention the Black Death. This plague was one of the most devastating illnesses in human history. According to records, it was estimated to have killed over a third of Europe’s population. The consequences of this plague were tragic. They included social change, economic and religious effects, and depopulation. There were also three different types of the plague. The Bubonic plague, which was the disease’s most common form, the Septicemic plague, which spread through the bloodstream, and the Pneumonic plague, which was the most infectious type. If left untreated, the Bubonic plague would kill about 50% of those infected. The other two types were fatal.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Without the chaos in Europe during the fourteenth century, Europe would not have become a newly unified power. Famine, cold, wet, and deadly conditions set place in Europe during the middle ages. Poor leadership and unlucky sequences caused the massive economic/political meltdown in Europe and the consequences were immensely costly to the general population for more than a 100 years. Northern Europe endured a large economic turnaround during the Little Ice Age because they heavily relied on agriculture. Agriculture became a growing concern due to the cold weather and the lack of production caused shortages which resulted in The Great Famine. The lack of food caused the prices to rise and since the general population already suffered from the appalling economy, they could not afford the prices which made them resort to violence and disturbing food selections. Disease from Asia mainly known as the Black Plague riddled Northern Europe causing a large population decrease and a change in balance of power.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The middle ages were a dark and scary time. They had everything broken down into groups of people. This system was called feudalism. The stages were broken into peasants next squire, knights, then onto kings. During this time something horrible happened, the black death occurred. The black death happened in the 1300s.…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    due to the dangerous and chaotic conditions of the continent at the time. By the end of the Middle Ages, the feudal system no longer being used due to its newfound inefficiency with the new situations emerging. Towns and trade began to get more popular, but society was still agriculturally based and comparatively less developed than the societies of Asia.…

    • 1317 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays