Medieval Feudal System

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The end of the Western Roman Empire ushered in a new age in the region. The instability caused many areas to try new ways to control the unrest that had risen from the loss of a central controlling government. Through this mayhem arose feudalism. According to Oxford Dictionaries, “Feudalism is a social system in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants were obliged to live on their lord’s land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.” (Oxford Dictionaries). In this social system, the lords overtaxed, neglected, and abused the common people, or peasants. Nevertheless, feudalism …show more content…

In this system of power, everyone knew their place. “The emergence of the Medieval Feudal System of the Middle Ages affected all spheres of Medieval society: a land-based economy, the judicial system and the rights of the feudal lords under the feudal system and the lack of rights for the serfs and peasants.” (Alchin). The King would reward those that performed well in a battle, making them Knights and giving them land, also known as fife, as a reward. The Knight that received the reward would swear an oath of allegiance to the King and offer him military force when he made a call to arms. The Knights and Barons of the land would make sure that the people, or peasants, provided the necessary goods to the King, even at the cost of the people. The system of Feudalism consisted of the King at the top who had Lords, Nobles, and Knights serving him. The castles constructed at this time gave protection to the Nobles and Lords, these castles are the most notable remains of the Feudalist system in England. However, this social system was only beneficial to those that were at the top of the power scheme. The peasants were not given the rightful compensation for their work. This strict separation and segregation of the English social classes served only to hinder development within its society. This would ultimately lead to the downfall of the Feudalistic system in