Feudal System Flashcards, test questions and answers

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What is Feudal System?

The Feudal System was a social and political structure that dominated medieval Europe for centuries. The system was based on the exchange of land and goods for protection between the nobility and their vassals, or dependents. It was an intricate system of rights, obligations and duties granted by the upper classes to those below them in return for loyalty. This arrangement provided wealth to the upper class while providing security to those below them in exchange for loyalty and service.The Feudal System began during the 9th century when Charlemagne became King of France and expanded into much of Europe. In this system, he divided his lands among trusted vassals who were expected to provide him with military service, collect taxes, keep order within their territories, and follow his laws. In return they were given titles such as barons or knights along with lands that came with special privileges such as hunting rights or taxation exemptions. These vassals then appointed lower-ranking members of their family as tenants who worked these lands in exchange for protection from feudal lords above them. This created a tiered hierarchy in which each level had certain obligations towards one another; this included both legal obligations such as military support from the tenantry towards their lord’s wars but also economic ties such as payment of rent by tenants to their landlords. Under this system there were three main classes: The Nobility, Vassals (or Knights) and Peasants (or Serfs). The Nobility held absolute authority over all others within the kingdom; they owned large estates called manors that could be distributed amongst loyal followers known as Vassals who would be responsible for protecting it with arms if necessary while also governing its day-to-day affairs. Peasants were bound by law to remain on the land assigned to them by their Feudal Lords; they provided labor services in exchange for subsistence farming plots which allowed them to survive on what little food they could grow themselves while providing additional resources through rent payments or farming fees back up to their lords at harvest time. This structure remained largely unchanged until around 1500 when more centralized forms of government began replacing it across Europe due largely in part to increasing dissatisfaction among serfs over unfair taxation rules imposed upon them by feudal lords without any sort of representation or recourse available through existing legal systems set up under feudalism’s strict hierarchy structure defended heavily by its privileged class members at every turn.