Manorialism In The Middle Ages
The Middle Ages emerged from a dark and tumultuous climate in western Europe. This territory, previously unified under King Charlemagne as the Holy Roman Empire, was split into three parts when the monarch died in the year 814. Chaos ensued after his death as kings fought for land and supremacy. This instability left kingdoms vulnerable to attacks from both foreign and local governments that threatened their way of life. Kingdoms in this new era needed to develop a social and economic system to provide for the population as well as protect their people. A social and political system called feudalism and an economic system called manorialism were the solutions to that problem. Together, feudalism and manorialism created the feudal society distinctive
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Manorialism emerged from feudalism because when the Lords were given land by the king, the lords were also given the authority over everything and everyone living there. The land a Lord was given by the king was called a manor. In some cases it was also a fief, which was the Lord’s reward for pledging his loyalty to the king. These manors became like miniature kingdoms with the Lord at the top of the social ladder. Manors were completely self-sufficient and the peasants, who produced the resources, were the backbone of the system. There were both free and indentured peasants who worked on the Lord’s land. Serfs were indentured laborers who were forced to farm the Lord’s land but received some food, resources, like firewood, and protection in exchange for their servitude.. Fear allowed the Lord to control the lower class. He promised to protect them if they worked for him and gave him a portion of their profits. Like feudalism, a reason why manorialism emerged was because the weak were desperate to seek protection from the strong. Fear of being vulnerable kept the lower class from protesting the unfair distribution of wealth and their harsh living conditions. The majority of people in the Middle Ages were serfs and lived short and difficult lives dedicated to producing supplies for the manor. Typically, a
Manorialism emerged from feudalism because when the Lords were given land by the king, the lords were also given the authority over everything and everyone living there. The land a Lord was given by the king was called a manor. In some cases it was also a fief, which was the Lord’s reward for pledging his loyalty to the king. These manors became like miniature kingdoms with the Lord at the top of the social ladder. Manors were completely self-sufficient and the peasants, who produced the resources, were the backbone of the system. There were both free and indentured peasants who worked on the Lord’s land. Serfs were indentured laborers who were forced to farm the Lord’s land but received some food, resources, like firewood, and protection in exchange for their servitude.. Fear allowed the Lord to control the lower class. He promised to protect them if they worked for him and gave him a portion of their profits. Like feudalism, a reason why manorialism emerged was because the weak were desperate to seek protection from the strong. Fear of being vulnerable kept the lower class from protesting the unfair distribution of wealth and their harsh living conditions. The majority of people in the Middle Ages were serfs and lived short and difficult lives dedicated to producing supplies for the manor. Typically, a