Feudalism: A System of Contracts and Power

Feudalism is the political structure that rose after the fall of the Carolingian empire. The political structure is largely based on the personal contracts between individuals and not between individuals and the government. The system is based on the fact that the premise of land is the basis of all wealth. In return for land, a person owes personal service, which is usually military or financial. The one in charge, the lord, offers protection and land. Contracts are between the lords and their vassals. The feudal system and the way it was structured only worked within the upper classes. For example, you could either be a king or a lord, but also be a vassal to those in higher power than you while also being a suzerain to a knight. The land

The word chivalry comes from the French word “chival,” which means horses and “chevalier,” which means horsemen. This means that chivalry refers to the class that owns horses; the nobility. It does not extend to the masses. Some of the rules that the knights had to follow were: a knight was to be faithful to his lord and honor his vows, he was to be champion of the church, be generous, courteous, and reverent toward women. At the age of seven, a boy became a page during which time he learned manners and the basic use of weapons. In the boys early teens, he would become known as a squire, a knight’s assistant, who after proving himself in battle, would then become a knight. The ceremony of becoming a knight included the accolade, which is a stroke on the shoulder or back with the flat of the blade. Hospitality was considered a virtue and banquets played a major part in their lives. The people also overindulged in food. Homes were not seen as comfortable places. They were usually cold, damp, sparcely furnished, dark, and dirty. There was little romance in the marriages. Wives were seen as a way of money. They were supposed to either bring in inherited money of a dowry and they were to bear a son. Men liked to hunt or have mock battles, which we use the term jousting. Another way of life was the feudal justice system. It was like a law. The accuser doesn’t have to state why he