Feudalism: An Overview

Definition and Origin

• Feudalism: Term used in the 19th century to describe societal structure during the High Middle Ages (1000-1300 A.D.).
• Initially modeled as a system based on the exchange of land and services.

Structure of the Feudal System

• Kingdom Landownership:
  • Most land belonged to the King, some to the Church.
  • King distributed large estates to great lords (tenants in chief) for military and political support.
  • Great lords further distributed land to lesser lords, and so on down to peasants.
• Feudal Pyramid:
  • Represented as a pyramid with the King at the top.
  • Overlords and vassals:
    • King/lord granting land became an overlord.
    • Recipient of land became a vassal.
    • Land was referred to as a "fief."

Feudal Relationships

• Cross-Border Relationships:
  • Lords held lands in multiple countries, owing allegiance to multiple kings.
• Complexity Beyond the Pyramid:
  • Not all loyalty ties were vertical; many were horizontal among equals.
  • Services varied: Peasants provided labor or rent; landowners formed alliances.

Decline of Feudalism

• Military Changes:
  • Shift from feudal military service to professional soldiers started in the 12th century.
  • By 1300, professional armies diminished reliance on lord-provided troops.
• Economic and Social Changes:
  • Black Death (1348 England):
    • Significant population reduction increased survivors' bargaining power.
    • Peasants gained freedom to choose work and demand wages.
  • Rise of Towns:
    • Towns operated outside the feudal system with charters and trade.
    • Growth of urban classes reduced nobility's power.

Formal Abolition

• England:
  • Feudalism declined from the 14th century, formally abolished with the Tenures Abolition Act of 1660.
• France & Russia:
  • France abolished feudalism post-1789 Revolution.
  • Russian peasants freed in 1861.
• British Isles:
  • Last remnants abolished with Scottish Parliament's Abolition of Feudal Tenure Act (2000), effective 2004.