Overview
This lecture explains the structure and evolution of feudalism in medieval Europe, its decline, and eventual abolition across different countries.
Structure of Feudalism
- Feudalism describes the hierarchical social system in Europe between 1000 and 1300 A.D.
- Most land belonged to the king or the church, who granted large estates to great lords (tenants in chief).
- Great lords distributed smaller portions of land to lesser lords, continuing down to local lords and peasants.
- The system is often visualized as a pyramid with the king at the top.
- Relationships were defined by land exchange for services, mostly military and political support.
Key Terms and Relationships
- A lord who granted land became an overlord; the recipient became a vassal.
- The land granted was called a fief.
- Feudal relationships could cross borders; lords sometimes owed loyalty to multiple kings.
- Services in return for land varied: peasants provided labor or rent; landowners offered alliances and military support.
- Not all feudal ties were strictly vertical; some were between equals.
Decline of Feudalism
- Kings became less dependent on lords for soldiers, favoring professional armies by the 12th–13th centuries.
- The Black Death (1348) reduced the working population, increasing peasants’ bargaining power and weakening noble control.
- The economic rise of towns, with their own charters, reduced the power of the nobility.
End and Abolition of Feudalism
- By the 14th century, military service obligations faded and money became more important than manpower.
- Feudalism in England declined from the 14th century, formally abolished by the Tenures Abolition Act of 1660.
- France abolished feudalism in 1789, Russia in 1861, and Scotland finally ended it in 2004.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Feudalism — a hierarchical system based on land exchange for services.
- Overlord — a lord who grants land to a vassal.
- Vassal — a person receiving land and owing loyalty/services in return.
- Fief — land granted in exchange for service.
- Tenures Abolition Act — law ending feudal land tenure in England (1660).
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the definitions and timeline of feudalism’s abolition in various countries.
- Prepare for discussion on how economic and social changes led to the decline of feudalism.