Feudalism
Feudalism was a complex form of government in medieval times that can be characterized in many different ways. Andrew Smith, author of “Feudalism vs Manorialism”, puts it concisely, “Feudalism was characterized by the granting of fiefs, chiefly in the form of land and labor, in return for political and military services - a contract sealed by oaths of homage and fealty”. The feudal structure was crucial to the survival of the Europeans after the devastating fall of the Roman Empire. Manorialism was key to feudalism’s success in more ways than one. While manorialism critically aided feudalism, without a lord’s steward the manor’s delicate stability would collapse. Feudalism was the form of government in the Middle Ages that provided …show more content…
The Great Chain of Being was very important to the medieval people. The Great Chain of Being was a christian belief that declared that everything in the universe whether it was living or nonliving had an unchanging position (Richardson 2). For example, kings were always meant to be kings and serfs were always meant to be serfs. This mindset made social mobility extremely uncommon. The Great Chain of Being was seen as being blessed by god and those who questioned it were persecuted (Lenehan 2). This crime usually resulted in excommunication (Lenehan 2). Although the Great Chain of Being was one the most important beliefs in christianity there were other important things to understand. The Church had means of communication, because all of its members were literate (Richardson 1). Although the Church gave their official sermons in latin, priests gave their village sermons in native tongue. Most medieval christians observed sacraments. Sacraments were symbols of “god’s grace” (Hinds 14). The priest was the most important member of a manor, the lord hired him and made sure he was comfortable (Cels 24). The Great Chain of Being and the Church as a whole, affected the lives of all medieval social
Feudalism was a complex form of government in medieval times that can be characterized in many different ways. Andrew Smith, author of “Feudalism vs Manorialism”, puts it concisely, “Feudalism was characterized by the granting of fiefs, chiefly in the form of land and labor, in return for political and military services - a contract sealed by oaths of homage and fealty”. The feudal structure was crucial to the survival of the Europeans after the devastating fall of the Roman Empire. Manorialism was key to feudalism’s success in more ways than one. While manorialism critically aided feudalism, without a lord’s steward the manor’s delicate stability would collapse. Feudalism was the form of government in the Middle Ages that provided …show more content…
The Great Chain of Being was very important to the medieval people. The Great Chain of Being was a christian belief that declared that everything in the universe whether it was living or nonliving had an unchanging position (Richardson 2). For example, kings were always meant to be kings and serfs were always meant to be serfs. This mindset made social mobility extremely uncommon. The Great Chain of Being was seen as being blessed by god and those who questioned it were persecuted (Lenehan 2). This crime usually resulted in excommunication (Lenehan 2). Although the Great Chain of Being was one the most important beliefs in christianity there were other important things to understand. The Church had means of communication, because all of its members were literate (Richardson 1). Although the Church gave their official sermons in latin, priests gave their village sermons in native tongue. Most medieval christians observed sacraments. Sacraments were symbols of “god’s grace” (Hinds 14). The priest was the most important member of a manor, the lord hired him and made sure he was comfortable (Cels 24). The Great Chain of Being and the Church as a whole, affected the lives of all medieval social