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The Three Levels Of Feudalism In Medieval Europe

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Medieval Europe wasn’t governed like countries or like a kingdom, but through an intriguing system known as feudalism. Feudalism was a profound political system that organized its citizens into a feudal pyramid, allowed for a functioning military by its knights, and for a stable economy. In feudalism, manors were created in a system called manorialism which had its people contribute to the society as a whole by giving obligations to others in order to receive their own benefits. Out of all these contributors, the bakers were the most crucial to the functioning of feudalism as they provided the staple food of the time. Through its economy, military, and manors, feudalism was a system that allowed everyone to contribute to its society, and one of these people were the …show more content…

Feudalism was the political system based upon social obligations, loyalty, and commitments, and one of the basic foundations for holding up this system are the three levels in the feudal pyramid. The three basic levels on the feudal pyramid were one of the ingredients for the basic structure of the system as a whole. In this system, lords, who were right below the king, granted fiefs to the vassals, who, in the form of land and labor, returned political and military services to the king (A. Smith 2). The serfs then gave the manor the labor and work while the lord gave them protection and shelter (Focus on Feudalism 2:26). The knights, who were one of the lower nobles, were hired by the king and they hoped to win a knight’s fee in return for their services (Norman 113). This is much like a contract, and any vassal under the lord is much like insurance for their family. None of this was written law or court but more of social bonds with trust and loyalty (C. Smith 3). These three levels were all dependant upon each other

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