The Feudal System

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During the middle Ages, a system called feudalism was developed due to the dangerousness of kingdoms at the time. Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs for a structured society by allowing the allotment or owning of land in exchange for service, loyalty, and employment. Feudalism was a hierarchal system meaning that there was a pyramid of command with the king on the top. During that time the king was believed to have divine right, which means God gave the rule the right to rule that kingdom. The feudal system, a city within a city, was created to maintain order within the kingdom by giving barons parts of the kingdom to rule in exchange for their loyalty to the king.
During the eighth century the roman empire in Europe collapsed because the centralized government under the rule of Charlemagne also known as Charles the Great failed to control the obscure provinces mostly because of the deadlock of transportation and communication; being that the empire was vast and news of invasions, rebellions, outbreaks, and natural disasters was not transmitted easily. After the downfall of the centralized government a system called feudalism, where each part of the kingdom had a ruler who was subordinate to the king, emerged and lasted for about six centuries.
The feudal system was a hierarchal structure which placed God above all else and placed the king right after. Due to the kingdoms being vast and huge; kings gave dukes, counts, barons, knights, bishops, abbots, and other clergymen pieces of their land in exchange for their service. The king performed homage to the person who he contributed land to. Homage was an act that set up the personal relationship between or bond between the nobles and kings. According to Ault, at t...

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...tman. Europe in the Middle Ages. Boston: D.C. Heath and, 1937. Print.
Bémont, Charles, and Gabriel Monod. "The Feudal System." Trans. Mary Sloan. Medieval Europe from 395 to 1270, Comp. George Burton Adams. New York: Holt, 1902. 246-67. Print.
Dijkstra, Henk. History of the Ancient & Medieval World. Vol. 9. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1996. Print. The Middle Ages.
Hay, Jeff. "Feudalism as the Basis of Social Order." The Early Middle Ages. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2001. 167-82. Print.
Stephenson, Carl. "Feudalism and Its Antecedents in England." The American Historical Review 48.2 (1943): 245-65. Print.
Stephenson, Carl. "The Origin and Significance of Feudalism." The American Historical Review 46.4 (1941): 788-812. Print.
“Feudalism” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. Web. 9 Nov. 2013

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