Feudalism

What is Feudalism?

In most of medieval Europe, society was dependent on the feudal system, which was based on allocation of land in return for service

Why Feudalism?

For safety and for defense, people in the Middle Ages formed small communities around a central lord or master.

Most people lived on a manor, which consisted of the castle, the church, the village, and the surrounding farm land.

How does it work?

In this "feudal" system, the king awarded land grants to his most important nobles, in return for their contribution of soldiers for the king's armies.

The lowest part of society were the peasants, also called "serfs". In exchange for living and working on his land, the lord offered his peasants protection.

The Feudal Contract

In return for land the nobles promised the king their loyalty. The contract included four important points:

1. The nobles had to serve in the king’s army for a certain number of days each year

2. They had to supply the king with additional knights in time of war.

3. They were expected to serve in the king’s court and to give him advice on political matters.

4. They had to give the king money on certain occasions such as when his oldest son was knighted.

It was up to the noble (the lord of the manor) to oversee what was going on on his land. The lords of the manor controlled the peasants’ life who were living and working on his land.

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