Preview

Feudalism in Medieval Europe Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
925 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Feudalism in Medieval Europe Essay Example
Feudalism in Medieval Europe

Feudalism has historically been a major source of debate and controversy among historians. The main issue is the ambiguity of the term. There is no accepted definition of what the term feudal is, how this differs from feudalism and what constitutes a feudal society. In this essay I will initially focus on the different definitions of the word and consider whether feudalism actually existed and was there such thing as a ‘feudal' society. I will then spend the second part of the essay arguing whether this can be applied to medieval Europe and how uniform was the spread.

The classical definition was proposed by François-Louis Ganshof in his book Feudalism. He saw feudalism narrowly in legal and military terms, arguing that relationships only existed within the nobility. Simply, a Lord would grant a fief to a vassal, which was usually but not explicitly land, and in return the vassal would offer military assistance when requested by the Lord.

Marc Bloch in his book published in 1961 viewed feudalism in a broader sense, looking at it from a sociological angle. He saw an additional relationship between peasants and lords whereby they would provide labour service or part of their farming output in return for land and protection given to them by the lord. Thus because of the absence of a strong central authority, a system of feudal government This was what Bloch defined the concept of a 'feudal' society as, including all aspects of life like government, the church structure and the economy.

This hypothesis was accepted by many until Elizabeth A. R. Brown published her article in 1974. She argued that that feudalism as a concept was invented well after the middle ages and was never challenged and therefore historians ‘began to accept the concept of a uniform feudal government and to concentrate on the system, the construct, instead of investigating the various social and political relationships found in medieval Europe'.# As well

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Middle Ages Dbq

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Feudalism was very popular in the Middle Ages. Feudalism was when land owning nobles became independent of kings and princes. The classes of feudalism defined the classes of the Middle Ages these classes include, lords, vassals, fiefs, manors, and serfs. The feudal obligations between a lord and his vassal were simple. The lord provided the vassal with land and protection and the vassal provided the lord with military service and ransom.(Doc. 4) For example “I, John of Toul. Make known that I am the liegeman of the count and countess of Champagne… I will aid the count.”(Doc. 2)…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Feudalism, beginning in Western Europe and later appearing in Japan, is the system of government in which nobles have certain owed loyalties to the king, in return for grants of land which are run by the serfs. Three specific areas that share similarities and differences between these two are: why and when their feudalism began, agriculture and art during the time, and the ranking and status of the different Feudal statuses, particularly the military.…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In order to effectively trace the change in Government in Europe from 1400-1800, going back a little bit is necessary. Feudalism developed around the 8th century, but did not reach Europe really until the 10th century. It began to develop in France, and then spread to Spain, Italy, and later Germany and Eastern Europe. It then extended eastward into Slavic lands to the marches which were continually battered by new invasions, and it was adopted partially in Scandinavian countries. The important features of feudalism were similar throughout, but there existed definite national differences. Feudalism continued in all parts of Europe through the middle ages, ending around the 15th century. Basically, Feudalism divides a state up so that different people have control of the land and people in it. Kings held the most power; they granted land to Barons in exchange for soldiers. Barons allowed Knights to own land if they swore an oath of loyalty and devotion to serve in battle. The Barons were also in charge of the small communities and made all decisions. Knights then gave the serfs some pasture for farming, but they expected gifts in return. These often included money and goods.…

    • 2272 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Feudalism was a type of regulated government consisting of multiple relationships between many classes in a society. It consisted of many strict military as well as legal customs and flourished in the 15th century. Feudalism was present and thriving in Japan and Europe prior to 1500. The feudal systems in Europe and Japan were similar as a result of their synonymous systems of mutual obligation, their corresponding social class organization, and their powerless “rulers”. European and Japanese feudal systems differ regarding social mobility, developmental beginnings regarding land and power dispersion, and land ownership rights for fighting classes.…

    • 595 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    At the beginning of medieval age in Europe, based on a feeble resource of data, it is believed that between 80‐90% of the economic activity was agriculture. Nearly everybody therefore, earned a living through agriculture as an economic activity. The economic structure prevailing then became known as Feudalism, a term which has come to mean, an economic system based on Lordship (ownership) of vast Land (also known as the ‘manor’ or ‘estate’), owned by a senior lord, who gave the right of cultivation (fief) to a lower rank of people called the vassals, who in return paid a stipulated amount from the harvests or from services rendered or ‐ later on ‐ through money, to the Lord of the manor. The vassals also received security from the lord of the manor. The origin of feudalism is sometimes traced back to the expansion of the Roman Empire. In Italy for instance, there were present large portions of land owned by Roman soldiers who had received the allocation of land in return for military services rendered to the Caesar. There also existed ownership of large track of land in Gaul before the Roman…

    • 2281 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    DBQ Middle Ages

    • 872 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Middle Ages should also be labeled the Age of Feudalism because of the absence of imperial authority that was replaced by local political organization known as the feudal system. The feudal system was based on loyalty and obligations between landlords in their vassals. In exchange for protection and land (fiefs) from the Lord, the vassle gave the Lord his loyalty, military service, and ransom if needed, as shown in the feudal obligations of document 4. After the fall of the Roman Empire, its territories in Europe had to protect themselves from outside invaders. To do this, these local kingdoms gave land to those willing to send knights in…

    • 872 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Feudalism and Manorialism

    • 365 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Word feudalism was invented in the 17 century by Montesquieu and popularized it in The Spirit of the Laws (1748). In the late eighteenth century people said that feudalism is the privileges of the aristocratic nobility, privileges that provoked the wrath of the bourgeoisie ((McKay, A History of Western Society 259). Later Karl Marx adopted it to other meaning. He thought that feudalism was precapitalistic society. Now people think that feudalism was social and political system held together by bonds of kingship, homage, and fealty and by grants of benefits - lands or estates given by king, lay lord, or ecclesiastical officer (bishop or abbot) to another member of the nobility or to a knight. (McKay, A History of Western Society 270.) However it aren't all meanings of feudalism. Bloch thought that it is a whole system of life centered on lordship. Feudalism was a military society. Men dominated in it. However women was not so significant.…

    • 365 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Feudalism began in France around A.D. 900 and spread. The feudal hierarchy was an arrangement of rank resembling a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid was the king. In the feudal relationship the king was the suzerain, or lord, of a group of dukes and counts who were his vassals. Each of these vassals was in turn lord to lesser vassals, who had even less important vassals. At the bottom of the pyramid were the knights, who had no vassals. Lord and vassal owed certain obligations to each other. The vassal pledged to perform certain services for his lord, and in return the lord granted him a fief, or fee.…

    • 1138 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Code of Chivalry

    • 1628 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Cited: Bloch, Marc. Feudal Society, Vol 2: Social Classes and Political Organisation, 2nd Edition, Routledge 1989…

    • 1628 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Marc Bloch’s Feudal Society Feudalism is described as a system in which the Crown gave land to nobility in return for their military support. Peasants were obligated to live on these lands and serve their lords in return for food, shelter, and military protection (Bloch XIV). Peasants were paid very little and sometimes not at all for their work. This system was very corrupt in nature and all power was held by the nobility. The massive body count among the lower class led to a shortage of peasant farmhands.…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    What Is Feudal Warfare

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Feudalism was a contrasting system dealing with political and military relationships existing among members of the higher social class, Kings, Lords and other owners of large lands in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. The Feudal system started by the granting of fiefs, chiefly in the form of land and labor, in return the lord would receive political and military services that was usual sealed by oaths of fidelity, instead of a written out contract. The Lord and vassal would be interlocked in a bunch of mutual rights and obligations, to the advantage of both. Where the lord owed his vassal protection and the vassal owed his lord a specified number of days annually in military service and supplies of goods, and the lord were expected to provide a military for his king. With that “feudal warfare” would arise as Kings would try to obtain more land then each other and expand their territory. As mentioned in class the Carolingian Empire was the first great European dynasty, it would unite all the small Frankish kingdoms that had established themselves in Gaul and this is where the early form of feudalism was used to raise the Carolingian armies.…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Feudalism and Br

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages

    <br>Feudalism came to as a government containing kings, vassals, knights, lords, lesser lords, and peasants. Feudalism is a loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their lands among lesser lords in exchange for military services and pledged loyalty. It came to as a need for control over peasants and protection from the Muslims and the Magyars.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    During William’s time of reign, he established the idea of feudalism. Feudalism was a property system and a military system. It was based on the religious concept of hierarchy, with…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    a. The Manorial System is the political, economic, and social system by which peasants of medieval Europe were made dependent on their land and on their lord derived from the word 'manor.' Feudalism is a hierarchical system in which a lord or king gives a gift or land (known in Latin as a feudum) to a vassal, such as a knight, in exchange for protection.…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Feudal System

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Feudal system was based on control of the people through fear and ignorance. The Feudal system lasted for approximately 800+ years, all over Europe. The system was divided mainly into two parts. "Mind," and "Body." The way that the social classes were divided include the following; 2% Royalty, (Kings, Queens, Dukes, Duchesses, etc.) 2% Church, (Cardinals, Popes etc.) 4% Merchants, and 92% Serfs (Peasants).…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays