Manorial System Research Paper

Manors, which are self-sufficient farming estates, were the primary centers for agricultural production. Many poor farmers and laborers without land to work on gave whatever land they had to large landowners in return for physical and political protection from the landowners. In doing so, and giving their freedom to the landowners as well, they became serfs and vassals. To ensure protection from these large landowners, also known as lords, these serfs and vassals had to give their services and pay large incomes to them. These incomes, imposed by the lord, were considered taxes. This system was known as feudalism, or the manorial system, which is a political, economic, and social system. Many kings and elite followed this system, having multiple vassals and serfs, as well as appointing lords, most of whom were his elite friends.
An increased need for knight and horse armor created a …show more content…
Because feudalism could only survive in an economy in which subsistence farming by peasants (serfs) was prevalent, these new changes caused it to disintegrate. A money economy allowed lords to create a market for their agricultural production as well as purchase luxury goods. Products resulting from excessive agricultural production could be sold to the cities and towns. Because of this, lords allowed their serfs to do labor services for money, and eventually serfs would be able to purchase their freedom with that money. It was found that workers who were free and paid rent or received wages farmed more effectively and obtained better profits than serfs. These reasons, along with other economic ones, caused feudalism to fall apart in western Europe. Europe eventually incorporated simpler relations between landlords and tenants, who paid rents, into their economic