Feudal System Essay

Improved Essays
Show More
The Feudal system was a system of obligations between lords and vassals. The level you were born in you would probably stay at that level for the rest of your life, as it was really hard to move up. There are four levels of the feudal system, Kings, Nobles, Knights, and Peasants. Feudalism started during the middle ages between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance. This time was when wealth was based on land, even higher than any currency. Basically all levels gave the levels lower than them fiefs. There was somewhat of a trust to be in a feudal system during this era. In order to survive you had to be loyal to the levels of the triangle within feudalism. Kings were the highest level of the feudal system. They lived happy and easy with many …show more content…
Bishops were on the same level as nobles. Nobles had all the riches and jewels and clothes that the king had. The noble owned a large manor where peasants or serfs worked in fields, the peasants were working in fields and giving service to nobles to be protected. Knights trained, awaiting battle, when the noble just relaxed being served by household workers. He was basically the king of that manor. Nobles would have his knights (which were usually his sons) fight and protect the king, and the king would provide land to build a manor on. To get these knights, the nobles offered the knight a fief as well as, weapons, armor, and other equipment the knight needed for war. Nobles were loyal to their king and were men of their word towards …show more content…
The lower the level you were the less power you had. The level you were born in you would probably stay in for the rest of your life. The more land you owned the wealthier you were since wealth was based on land during the middle Ages. Kings were the ultimate power and had total control of the land they were rich. Feudalism was not only based on land, but also obligations and loyalties. Nobles came right after the king they lived much like the king, but they had less power, they dressed the same and were treated with many off the same services as the king was treated with. Knights were usually sons of nobles and protected the king and the noble, they mainly followed the nobles orders which sometimes were to fight for the king since the noble swore to give the king protection using the knights. Serfs mainly farmed and would trade if they were free in a lord’s manor. The Feudal system is not still used today, yet some levels of the feudal system are similar to classes of civilians and ranks of government

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Ap Euro Dbq Research Paper
    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ap Euro Dbq Research Paper

    Can you imagine living in a world where knights protected lords in exchange for land? Well, when the Franks invented feudalism (OI), that’s what happened. Knights would protect lords or kings, and then the kings would give the knights land. Peasants would work on the land and take care of everything while the knights were protecting the land. As you can see, feudalism influenced the social, economic, and political lives of the people who lived then.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Why Did Rome Fall?
    • 208 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Why Did Rome Fall?

    During the fall of the Roman Empire, the government was weakening more and more, funding expensive wars to defend itself and making poor governmental decisions that caused more imbalance within its populace, like taxing the poor and not the rich ("Why Did Rome Fall?," 2010). Additionally, there was the problem with succession that ended rules, peace, and entire empires so many times before. Eventually, the empire fragmented into separate communities, which gave rise to Feudalism. The lack of a strong central government and unity among the empire as a whole allowed numerous local lords to hold power. Feudalism is a hierarchical system that revolved around three different social structures and their obligations to each other.…

    • 208 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    MIP-1: Knights In The Middle Ages
    • 1952 Words
    • 8 Pages

    MIP-1: Knights In The Middle Ages

    (MIP-1) Knights in the middle ages (SIP-A) (STEWE-1) Knights were the very definition of power. They had to fight in in the most gruesome battle in history, it’s no wonder that most common people were afraid of them. Most of the knights were spent their free time training, polishing their weapons and armor. Knights were usually wealthy but the wealthiest knights had three horses a tournament horse, a baggage horse, and a war horse (Walker 17).…

    • 1952 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Medieval Town Research Paper
    • 1391 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Medieval Town Research Paper

    Medieval Towns After the collapse of Rome, many cities lost their significance, power and weight. Because of the decrease of threats, war and invaders, people started moving outwards from the cities towards the countryside. However, this peace came to an end around 300 A.D. Threats, invaders and war were on the rise again, and people were on the move. Many farmers still living, self-sustained and happy in the countryside, started to feel this heat and the threats, and started to seek protection.…

    • 1391 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Social Classes In Medieval Times
    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Social Classes In Medieval Times

    In the Medieval era your social classes usually set your daily activities for not only for that day but for your whole life. During this time there wasn't really a lot of social classes you were either royalty,you were poor, or you were a member of the church. And once you were in your social class you are usually stuck there your whole life and if you were to have children then they would be sent to the same fate as you. Once you were in your social class it was nearly impossible to change your social class for example if you were a merchant selling furs then you would most likely not be able to become a knight. While you were in your social class you have duties that you are expected to do as well as things your are forbidden to do.…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Eastern Vs Western Absolutism Essay
    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Eastern Vs Western Absolutism Essay

    They had power and a strong influence in political affairs. The monarch and nobles were basically equal in power which is why it was hard for the monarch to rule absolutely the way Louis XIV. In France, the peasants were free from serfdom and although they were still heavily taxed, hey did not have to worry about serfdom as it was nearly abolished. In eastern countries, however, serfdom was still prominent in society. The main reason for that was because the nobles benefitted from taxing them and eastern lords had more political power.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Role Of The Feudal System In Medieval Europe
    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Role Of The Feudal System In Medieval Europe

    Each class were to swear loyalty to the one above in order to gain in return. The peasants benefited little as they were the lowest social class that held no power. They were given small fiefs to work on and minimal food. Feudalism, a system of reciprocity, ensured peace and stability within Europe until the plague was present.…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Feudalism In The Middle Ages Research Paper
    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Feudalism In The Middle Ages Research Paper

    Feudalism was unfair and an ineffective organizational system during the Middle Ages. Feudalism was an organized system developed by Western Europeans in around the High Middle Ages, which took place around 1000 CE. This social system is constructed upon the promises of loyalty for people in exchange for land and services. The feudal system started out with a monarch, a king or queen, who theoretically owned all the land in the kingdom. The monarch distributed fiefs, or units of land, to his lords.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Medieval Feudal System
    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Medieval Feudal System

    In feudal times, one either had enough wealth to live a comfortable life, or one was insolvent and had to work like a slave. The wealthy were not required to work as much as the lower class did, and several peasants died while trying their best to survive. Throughout history, the world has faced numerous different social systems and feudalism was by far the most unjust system during medieval Europe. At the top of the feudal system were the kings.…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    The Middle Ages: A Period Of Time In Medieval Europe
    • 1602 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Middle Ages: A Period Of Time In Medieval Europe

    The Middle Ages were the period of time in Europe that spanned approximately 850 years from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 to the Renaissance in 1350. This time was not known for being the easiest time in European history to live in. This time faced many hardships on an everyday basis that stretched for long periods of time. Almost anything that could go wrong did from a disease epidemic that wiped out a large portion of the population to wars that lasted several decades. The main three things that caused the Middle Ages to be such a difficult time to live were feudalism, Black Death, and the Hundred Years ' War.…

    • 1602 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Middle Ages Peasants Essay
    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Middle Ages Peasants Essay

    They had one main job and was to protect the castle from all the people that didn’t like the King and Queen. -Knighthood is when you are a young kid training and preparing to be a knight. It is a very long and hard process to become. Most of the boys started the Knighthood at the age 7 which is very young. Girls weren’t allowed to become knights instead they learn’t how to become a good wife.…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Shepherd's Role In Feudalism
    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Shepherd's Role In Feudalism

    The shepherd was only one of the many important roles in feudalism, who had many important jobs. Shepherd serfs had lots of important jobs around the manor. To become a shepherd, a normal farmer serf could pay a cash payment to gain the many privileges, but also responsibilities of a shepherd (Bennett 77). The shepherds main job was to move the lord’s fold of sheep around from place to place on the demesne (Bennett 77). He also had to report any peasants that tried to keep their sheep on their own land, which was against the law, all sheep had to be in the lord’s fold (Bennett 77).…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Knights In The Middle Ages Essay
    • 1653 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Knights In The Middle Ages Essay

    Feudalism can be seen as quite similar to Clientage. This system was used in ancient Rome. Clientage is where a leader promises goods or money for political support. Feudalism is where a leader offers land in exchange for protection. Although it may be hard to see, knights have influenced so much more than they are given credit…

    • 1653 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Strengths And Weaknesses Of Feudalism
    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Strengths And Weaknesses Of Feudalism

    Feudalism, England’s alternative to a government during the Middle Ages, played a significant role in the age of war and monarchs, and in some ways continues to have a role in today’s government. The workings of feudalism are simple. A king, or lord, gives land, also known as fiefs, ownership to nobles, also known as vassals, and in return for the king’s overall protection, the vassals would be responsible for providing their support and defense in the form of knights. In reciprocation for their service, knights were given smaller sized fiefs, this was known as subinfeudation. The peasants, or serfs, would do all upkeep of the land.…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    The Rise Of The Middle Class In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales
    • 2356 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The Rise Of The Middle Class In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales

    England was a difficult place to live in the medieval times if one was not born into a noble family. If one was not considered to be a noble from birth, then that person would likely have little to nothing for their entire life. The only real way that a person could improve their position would be to become a part of the church or perform a great feat that would cause a king to crown them as a noble. This was because there were only three real classes in England in the medieval times: the nobility, the clergy, and the peasants. The nobility consisted of kings and other people that were rich, had a lot of land, or held important positions in the government.…

    • 2356 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings