The feudal system was a way of government based on agreements that were made between the lord or king and vassals. In medieval times, there were three major groups of people- the nobility, the church, and the commoners. Relationships between groups and people were based on a balance system, a sort of “you do this for me, and I’ll do this for you” approach. In the feudal system, everyone was a vassal, meaning servants. At the top of the pyramid was the local king. Near the bottom were the knights, the professional fighting men. In the middle were the lords, other nobles, counts and officials. At the very bottom were the peasants.
The king would give large estates to his friends and relatives. These estates included houses, barns, tools, animals, and peasants. The king also promised to protect the vassal for any reason. In return, the nobles who were granted this land would have to swear to an oath of loyalty to the kind. The nobles promised never to fight against the kind. They also had to give the king whatever he asked for. The kind may ask for men to fight a war, money, or advice. The nobles also gave the king a place to stay when he traveled. By the 12th century, this system of government, known as feudalism, could be found throughout most of Western Europe.
2. Tribute System of Pre-Imperial Mongolia
During the Pre-Imperial Mongolian era, Genghis Khan and his army overran Beijing and pushed the empire towards northern China. His success as Khan helped as people got the impression that he had the Mandate of Heaven and that fighting against him was fighting heaven itself. The people of surrounding empires recognized the Mongol authority and agreed to pay tribute. And similar to the tribute system of the Tang and Song Dynasties, relations were kept peaceful because of this system. During this Pre-Imperial Mongolian time, they expected the conquered people to pay some form of taxes or tribute and if they did, they would not be harmed. But after conquering the Song, they changed it to their own views of power, where tribute represented submission to a greater power. Trade would continue to be important, but the tribute system was seen without reference to trade but mostly just to show political power in the region. The Pre-Imperial Mongolian emperors changed the way they viewed this traditional Chinese tributary system so that the idea was more focused on power instead of trade.
3. Tribute System of Tang and Song Dynasties The Tang and Song Empires required than any country that wanted to do trade with and keep peace with them had to pay a tribute. Countries that participated included Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and more. Under this tribute system, conquered countries and people would be made to accept the Tang or Song Emperor as their lord and send regular gifts. In return, the leaders of the tributary states could keep authority over their states as well as gifts from China. This system was important to these Chinese societies because it allowed for important relations to be made between China and the nearby nations allowing for peace and easy trade. Both the Tang and Song dynasties benefited by the tributary system both politically and economically. Because they were able to manage foreign relations and control the ways that foreign countries entered into and conducted their relations with China, the Chines found this tributary system a great way for getting compliance from nearby states and people. According to this system, foreign people were given permission to trade and contact with China on the condition that they demonstrated their obedience to the Chinese emperor by personally giving him a tribute. There were many advantages for the Tang and Song empires to carry out this tribute system, one being the economic power that they gained over other empires.
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