Feudalism is an important part of the history of social organizations in the West . As such, these organizations are made up of political and economic elements that are complex and closely related to the social structure. That is, there is a hierarchy where one or more modes of production are related to social superstructures such as politics or the state.

In the case of the feudal system, what lies at the bottom is the intention to ensure the survival of the warrior caste. For this, it will be the peasants or serfs who will bear the expenses of those who fight. In medieval Europe, the latter occurs through a lordly system that organizes a complex network of loyalties and obligations in a chain of production, whose highest link is the crown and the lowest the serf.

In this article we will see what feudalism is, what its background and development are , as well as some of the main characteristics.

What is feudalism?

Feudalism is the social system that dominated Western Europe and its colonies during the Middle Ages , specifically from the 8th to the 15th century, and was expanded by the Carolingian dynasty.

In general terms, its organization consists of the following: in exchange for the oath of fidelity and military service, the king cedes a part of the land to a vassal, who is part of the nobility.

Without the right of ownership and without the obligation to inherit such land, the vassals acquire the possibility of using and managing it. This contractual relationship is known as “vassalage” and the tribute granted in exchange for the right to the land is called “feudal tenure”. The person in charge of managing such tenure and representing the feudal relations is called the “tenant”.

The territory in question is worked by the peasants (called serfs), who were forced to live on the same land and paid homage to the owner by giving him a share of the worked product. In return they received the promise of military protection.

Brief history: from the Roman Empire to the final crisis

Like all social systems, feudalism followed a historical path, both at the economic level and at the political and social level. In the economic dimension this trajectory began with taxes and advanced to trade; in politics it developed through a centralized monarchy, and in the social one it was structured by castes that went from the clergy and the army , until finally the bourgeoisie.

Considering that the latter developed in different ways in each territory, we will see below an overview of what happened in Western Europe.

Background and development

In the 5th century, the empire that had dominated Western Europe since the 1st century fell: the Roman Empire. The territory is no longer unified and is divided into the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire . The former advances culturally and intellectually at the same time as the institutionalisation of Christianity, and ends until the fall of Constantinople in the 15th century.

The second was destroyed several centuries earlier, as a result of the barbarian invasions that allowed the final transition to the Middle Ages. This happened after numerous wars that took place in the 5th and 6th centuries, which among other things led to an increase in the number of slaves.

Far from joining the traditional slave estates that were characteristic of Roman antiquity, many of these slaves became free tenants. Nevertheless, when the haciendas collapsed, many of them were dispersed among the different estates, giving rise to servitude . This represents one of the beginnings of feudalism.

Feudalism is an important part of the history of social organizations in the West . As such, these organizations are made up of political and economic elements that are complex and closely related to the social structure. That is, there is a hierarchy where one or more modes of production are related to social superstructures such as politics or the state.

In the case of the feudal system, what lies at the bottom is the intention to ensure the survival of the warrior caste.
For this, it will be the peasants or serfs who will bear the expenses of those who fight.
In medieval Europe, the latter occurs through a lordly system that organizes a complex network of loyalties and obligations in a chain of production, whose highest link is the crown and the lowest the serf.

In this article we will see what feudalism is, what its background and development are , as well as some of the main characteristics.

What is feudalism?

Feudalism is the social system that dominated Western Europe and its colonies during the Middle Ages , specifically from the 8th to the 15th century, and was expanded by the Carolingian dynasty.

In general terms, its organization consists of the following: in exchange for the oath of fidelity and military service, the king cedes a part of the land to a vassal, who is part of the nobility.

Without the right of ownership and without the obligation to inherit such land, the vassals acquire the possibility of using and managing it.
This contractual relationship is known as “vassalage” and the tribute granted in exchange for the right to the land is called “feudal tenure”. The person in charge of managing such tenure and representing the feudal relations is called the “tenant”.

The territory in question is worked by the peasants (called serfs), who were forced to live on the same land and paid homage to the owner by giving him a share of the worked product. In return they received the promise of military protection.

Brief history: from the Roman Empire to the final crisis

Like all social systems, feudalism followed a historical path, both at the economic level and at the political and social level.
In the economic dimension this trajectory began with taxes and advanced to trade; in politics it developed through a centralized monarchy, and in the social one it was structured by castes that went from the clergy and the army , until finally the bourgeoisie.

Considering that the latter developed in different ways in each territory, we will see below an overview of what happened in Western Europe.

Background and development

In the 5th century, the empire that had dominated Western Europe since the 1st century fell: the Roman Empire.
The territory is no longer unified and is divided into the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire . The former advances culturally and intellectually at the same time as the institutionalisation of Christianity, and ends until the fall of Constantinople in the 15th century.

The second was destroyed several centuries earlier, as a result of the barbarian invasions that allowed the final transition to the Middle Ages. This happened after numerous wars that took place in the 5th and 6th centuries, which among other things led to an increase in the number of slaves.

Far from joining the traditional slave estates that were characteristic of Roman antiquity, many of these slaves became free tenants.
Nevertheless, when the haciendas collapsed, many of them were dispersed among the different estates, giving rise to servitude . This represents one of the beginnings of feudalism.

Compared to the modern era, in which the development of technology allows for the automation of many tasks, this accumulation of capital does not produce an extremely high level of inequality, and social asymmetries are more political and coercive than economic.

3. Wealth is the possession of land

In feudalism, the main means to generate wealth is the possession of land , since this allows the generation of production nuclei from what is produced in that territory. For this reason, the economy revolves around the possession of land, with which there is still no speculation.

4. No social elevator

Something typical of feudalism is that each family belongs to a social class or estate, and its possibilities of passing to another of the social levels is practically non-existent , given that the rights arrive assigned depending on the family in which it was born.

This means that even if a family did very well financially, it would never be able to compete with other, higher levels of power.

5. The king and the nobility need each other

In feudalism, political power is divided between the king and the nobles, and neither of these two institutions has absolute power. The king represents sovereignty and territorial union , and under his reign the nobles who are loyal to him are organized; but at the same time the king depends militarily and economically on the nobles. These two estates need each other.

Bibliographic references:

  • Gat, A. (2006). War in Human Civilization, New York: Oxford University Press.
  • History World. (S/A). History of feudalism. Recovered 25 July 2018.
  • Karl, F. (2010) The Futile Paradigm: In Quest of Feudalism in Early Medieval Japan. History Compass 8.2: 179 – 196.
  • Wickham, C. (1989). The other transition: from the ancient world to feudalism. Studia historica. Medieval history. 7: 7-36.