Feudalism system in Western world

Feudalism and Decline of Feudalism

The feudal system was a characteristic feature of European society during the middle Ages and was widespread during the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It evolved slowly on its own and was not introduced of anyone man or of a group of people. It was an obvious consequence of troubled and uncertain times and its growth and development was facilitated by the constant pressure of warfare and development was facilitated by the constant pressure of warfare and by the absence of a strong central government capable of securing peace for the people.

Characteristic features of Feudalism

Feudalism in Europe drew upon many institution and custom of Roman and Teutonic origin. Despite the regional differences it was based upon two fundamental ideas each individual had a lord who protected him and whom in turn he served, and all political and social relationships were defined in terms of the property of the person.

Towards the end of the Roman empire, vast lands possessed by the nobles were commonly known as latifundia. In course of time these nobles acquired more land. Such vast possessions being unproductive and unmanageable were given to people in return for military or other service. This custom was known as beneficium which with the passage of time became hereditary and was then known as fief.

All land belonged to the king who was the supreme lord. The king shared it with the lord who became his vassals and were absolute masters of their fiefs.  These lords who were known as dukes and earls further shared their land with lesser lords called barons or sub-tenants (vassals of dukes and earls), who further divided it if it suited their interests. The lowest category of the feudal lords were the knights who had no vassals of their own. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the serfs or the land slaves who did not own any land but were tied to the land they tilled. This division of land was known as subinfeudation.

No vassal owned land which was pyramidal in nature with the serfs at the bottom and the king at the top forming the apex of the hierarchical structure. Land provided the essential link among men at different levels.

No vassal owned land which was only held by him on behalf of the overlord. These vassals took orders from their lord and even the king himself could not directly approach them for help. The king was responsible for the welfare of his dukes and earls and the lords for that of their sub-tenants in case of an attack by the enemy. The vassals in turn swore allegiance to their lord  and provided him with a certain number of soldiers whenever an emergency arose.

The Feudal Lords : In the absence of a strong central government, the lords were all powerful. They administered justice through the manorial court, imposed taxes within their fiefs and maintained a garrison of soldiers. There was no uniform or recognised law except the law of the church. Customs and tradition were used as a reference point in all secular matters. Society was essentially rigid in nature and men were bound to the class in which they were born.

The vassals had to discharge certain obligations to their lords in terms of paying relief which is the sum paid by a new vassal when he inherited an estate. The lords had the power to forfeit their vassals fiefs if the latter were disloyal and did not execute their duties efficiently. The vassals were also expected to give 'aid' in the form of ransom when their lord was captured, or as dowry when the lord's eldest daughter got married or when the lord's eldest son was knighted.

The Peasants : The first group of peasants were the freeholdrs who had obtained land from the lords. They paid taxes but were free to manage their land. The villeins on the other hand, were not only expected to work on the land for a specific number of days but had to give some of the produce of the land to the lord.

The serfs had no land of their own, they worked for their master and lived on the land part of which they cultivated for their own use. They also engaged in other manual labour like repairing and building roads. This serfs were tied to the land and were severely punished if they tried to leave the land. In some cases, serfs were granted freedom by their master and they became free men.

The Manorial System : This was the economic structure of medieval European society, The lords lived in the manor which was the centre of the activity. Mamors varied in size and some lords possessed more than one manor. Each manor was a self sufficient unit with its own grain mill, bakery, workshop, fields and church. Those living on the manor were given a strip of land for cultivation, the size of which varied in accordance to the tenant's position. The three field system of agriculture was practised. According to this system one field was for early or spring crop another for the autumn crop and the last was allowed to fallow.

The peasants living on the manor performed numerous services for their lord, they paid Taille or tax on houses and lands which was payable twice a year and also paid tax for the various facilities available on the manor like bakery, mill etc., used by them.

The peasants were, no doubt thoroughly exploited by the lords, Their life was a miserable and penurious existence which emphasized the distance between them and the nobles.

Knight errantry : This was a favourable pastime and was regarded as a high level of chivalry. Duels and group tournaments were encouraged which provided the much needed opportunity for displaying personal prowess and a lour. The custom of conferring knighthood on the sons of noblemen resulted in a special veneration of women which was never seen before in any contemporary society.

Rank, position and land under the feudal system passed from father to son. At some places, as  in France and Germany however a noble's estate were divided among his sons. The nobles were not in favour of the king's position being hereditary because they wanted to exercise their right of electing the king.

Feudalism was a system in which public relations depended upon private relations and political rights were determined by land rights. This led to some confusion between  private and public rights. The idea of contract was inherent in some eases but it was in an essential condition.

Merits of the System : Feudalism , in the medieval ages when chaos and confusion reigned supreme, provided a rough and easy method of government, security and justice. It also served as a check against royal absolutism. The lords were absolute masters of their fiefs and enjoyed vast authority and privileges. The king depended upon them for help and strengthened the position of the nobles. They forced king John of England to sign the Magna Carta in 1215.

Feudalism influenced the culture in Europe during the Middle Ages and produced a crude morality which placed heavy emphasis on truth.

Demerits of the system : Though a necessary consequence of the existing circumstances in the Middle Ages, feudalism was not without drawbacks. It created a class of hereditary nobles who became independent of the king and oppressed the common people. These lords administered justice according to local usages of the land which gave rise to local peculiarities in the various states that came into existence in the absence of a uniform state law.

The emergence of powerful nobles weakened the control of the central government and this prevented the growth of a strong, unified nation.

As fighting was the law under this system, the nobles were always busy fighting each other and this stunted the growth of industry and learning.

The Holy Roman Empire : The Middle Ages witnessed the establishment of an empire commonly referred to as the Holy Roman Empire. It was mainly a German dominated empire and included all the German states as well as Austria and some other lands. The empire was so called because the people of Western Europe still recalled the glory of ancient Rome, whose emperors had dominated the area around the Mediterranean. Initially, the city of Roman was an integral part of the empire. In the eyes of the people, the Roman title of Emperor was the highest of honours and the emperor was more powerful than the king because he ruled over more than one kingdom.

The German kings assumed the Roman title of emperor and also accepted the Christian religion that prevailed in the Roman emperor was Cha lemagne ( the French equivalent for Charles the Great) on the 25 December A.D. 800 by Pope Leo III. It has often been asked that why was the empire called 'Holy' ? This primarily because the emperors claimed that God had established the Holy Empire just as he had founded the Holy Church. The rulers claimed that God had given them the power to maintain peace and to protect Christian people against their enemies. To obtain unquestioned obedience from their subjects, the emperors often quoted the famous line from the New Testament 'Fear God' Honour the king'

The relationship between the Frankish king and the Pope can be traced back to Pepin, son and successor of Charles Martel or Charles the Hammer as he was commonly known. He is well known for successfully checking the advance of the Muslims into France at the battle of Tours in A.D. 732.

Origin of the Papal States : Pepin had the distinction of being consecrated king twice-first by St. Boniface in 751 and then by Pope Stephan III in 754. This promoted friendly relations between the King and Pope. Pepin agreed to help and invaded Italy driving out the Lombards, he returned the conquered lands to the Pope. This resulted in the formation of the Papal states. The Pope now held both temporal and spiritual powers and assumed the role of the king with the papacy as an independent sovereign state.

Charlemagne, Pepin's son and successor firmly established the Franklish kingdom. Charles led his forces against the Lombards and defeated them. He married Desiderata, daughter of the Lombard king and then became the King of Lombards. For thirty years he fought the Saxons of Northern Germany till their ruler Wittekind accepted the sovereignty of Charles and adopted Christianity as his religion. He turned his attention to the Slavs of Central Europe and to the Avars who lived on the banks of the River Danube. He also subjugated the powerful kings of Bavaria.

 By the year A.D. 800, Charles was the undisputed master of Western Europe. His kingdom included France, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, northern Italy and parts of Spain. He divided his kingdom into several countries under the charge of counts called governors who handled all secular matters whereas all religious matters were dealt by bishops. Ambassadors or missi dominice travelled throughout the length and breadth of the empire to make sure that the king's orders were implemented. He encouraged agriculture, trade, and learning. A code of laws was drawn up and schools were set up in monasteries for imparting free education.

In A.D. 800 Charlesmagne celebrated Christmas in Rome. As he prayed at the alter of St. Peter's Church, Pope Leo III placed a crown on his head and pronounced him Emperor of the Romans. He ruled his vast empire till his death in A.D. 814 and with his death came the end of this mighty empire.

 Decline of Feudalism

Feudalism was  dominant in most parts of Europe for over seven centuries but had reached its peak during the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, though many of its institutions survived till the end of the eighteenth century. There were several factors which led to the decline of the feudal system.

The Holy Roman Empire  which came into existence during this period represented a force which kept in check the evil tendencies of the German feudalism. The Papacy rendered valuable service in fighting against the lawlessness of the feudal system. It installed the institution of Trace of God, which demanded protection for priests, merchants, peasants, women, pilgrims and forbade fighting on several days of the week. The feudal lords respecting the church's orders kept a check on their followers and made sure that they observed orders and did not disturb the peace.

The towns contributed to the decline of feudalism as they organized themselves into communes and leagues to deal with the feudal lords. Initially, the townsmen were treated as serfs but with the development of trade and commerce, the towns became rich and obtained charters of freedom which made them independent of feudal control.

The development of new forms of warfare exposed the weakness of the older feudal methods. The invention of gun powder and fire arms was one of the chief factors responsible for the decline of feudalism.

The growth of strong monarchies also contributed to its downfall. Powerful monarchs established the system of hereditary succession instead of the system of election. In addition to this, the position of the kings was further strengthened by the willing support of the common people, and together they weakened the power and the prestige of the feudal lords. The emergence of the theory of the Divine Right of kings gave a new stature to the position of the king. Obedience to the king under this theory was a sacred duty. The increasing power of the parliament in England served as to bridge the gap between the common people and the monarchy thus, decreasing the power of the nobility.

The introduction of money played a very decisive role in the downfall of this feudalistic structure. Money was paid in lieu of military and other services, The nobles gave money instead of providing the king with a contingent of soldiers. The king was thus able to rise mercenary troops who were better trained and more loyal than the troops provided by the feudal lords. The nobles granted charters of freedom to the townsfolk on payment of money. This step further undermined the power of the lords.

During the fourteenth century, feudalism received another setback because of the important changes introduced in the agricultural methods. The plague called the 'Black  Death' which swept across the whole of Europe had very dramatic effects. It changed the face of rural England, resulting in an acute shortage of labour and a consequent increase in wages. It also destroyed the old manorial system and the system of villeinage.

The factor of paramount importance was the change introduced by the spread of education, including the study of arts and science. This generated negative feelings towards military service and other feudal practices.