Life in the Middle ages is full of uncertainty. After the death of Charlemagne, barbarians such as the Vikings raided unprotected villages for resources leading to the death of many, while the loss of leadership and a centralized government led local kings and landlords to fight one another for control over a larger territory instead of protecting the common folk.
Do you think the implementation of Feudalism and Manorialism effective in addressing the problems stated above? Yes or No? Explain your answer.
Answers
Answer:
Feudalism flourished in Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries.
Feudalism in England determined the structure of society around relationships derived from the holding and leasing of land, or fiefs.
In England, the feudal pyramid was made up of the king at the top with the nobles, knights, and vassals below him.
Before a lord could grant land to a tenant he would have to make him a vassal at a formal ceremony. This ceremony bound the lord and vassal in a contract.
While modern writers such as Marx point out the negative qualities of feudalism, such as the exploitation and lack of social mobility for the peasants, the French historian Marc Bloch contends that peasants were part of the feudal relationship; while the vassals performed military service in exchange for the fief, the peasants performed physical labour in return for protection, thereby gaining some benefit despite their limited freedom.
The 11th century in France saw what has been called by historians a “feudal revolution” or “mutation” and a “fragmentation of powers” that increased localized power and autonomy.
Key Terms
mesne tenant: A lord in the feudal system who had vassals who held land from him, but who was himself the vassal of a higher lord.
vassals: Persons who entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe.
fiefs: Heritable property or rights granted by an overlord to a vassal.
homage: In the Middle Ages this was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title to his new position.
fealty: An oath, from the Latin fidelitas (faithfulness); a pledge of allegiance of one person to another.
Overview
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries. It can be broadly defined as a system for structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land, known as a fiefdom or fief, in exchange for service or labour.
The classic version of feudalism describes a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs. A lord was in broad terms a noble who held land, a vassal was a person who was granted possession of the land by the lord, and a fief was what the land was known as. In exchange