The feudal system’s consequence was the creation of localised groups of communities that owed loyalty to a specific lord who exercised absolute authority in his domain. However, this led to general disorder and endemic conflict as there was no strong legal tradition to prevent the lords from declaring war on each other. Feudalism was always an arrangement between individuals, not between nation-states and citizens. The nobles, in turn, shared power with nobles lower in the hierarchy. The king was obliged to share power with his nobles. A fief virtually constituted an independent kingdom inside a kingdom.įeudalism encouraged the decentralisation of authority. The relief served as monetary recognition of the lord’s continuing rights over the property. Fiefs became hereditary by the middle of the 10th century, meaning that the eldest son of the deceased vassal could inherit the fief after paying homage, swearing allegiance to the nobleman and paying a relief for the land. The lords still had ultimate ownership over the fiefs and could recover it in case of disloyalty or death of the vassal. However, the granting of lands to a vassal did not relinquish the lord’s rights over his property. These fees were often revenue-generating lands or anything else of value, such as tax farms, offices, or trade rights. These were heritable property or rights granted by a feudal lord or king to his vassal, who held it as a fee in return for a form of allegiance and service. The vassals received lands and protection (sometimes in the form of legal support) from their superior, if and when required.įiefs were the central element of feudalism. These nobles then further apportioned parts of their fiefs to knights or to more minor nobles, who in turn performed military duties and swore allegiance to the lords. So if the kingdom were threatened or new territories were to be conquered, the nobles were obliged to provide troops and fight alongside their king. In return for the land, the nobles swore their loyalty to the king and promised to perform various duties like financial support, counsel, and military services. The king assigned parcels of lands (known as fiefs) to his nobles. The obligations often included military services. The condition of the serfs was a bit better than the slaves.Īnother essential feature of feudalism was vassalage, in which a person (the vassal) had a mutual obligation to an immediate superior like a lord or king. Around ninety per cent of the population were serfs. At the lowest strata of the feudal system were the peasants and farmers, also known as serfs. The accolade involved the king or lord touching his vassal on the shoulders with a sword to confer knighthood. Symbols and ceremonies such as the accolade confirmed their status as knights. They represented an elite caste of warriors that fought on behalf of their feudal lords. The knights were the backbone of the medieval European armies. Below him were the nobles, also known as lords, followed by the knights. The feudal system’s main feature was its pyramidal or hierarchical structure, with the king at the topmost level of the hierarchy. Feudalism emerged as a result of the decentralisation of empires, especially the Carolingian empire.įeudalism was characterised by the absence of a public authority and the exercise of judicial and administrative functions by lords. Feudalism, also known as feudality or feudal system, was a political, economic and social system that flourished in medieval Europe during the Middle Ages between the 9th and 15th centuries.
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