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Feudalism Analysis

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Published: Mar 13, 2024

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Origins of feudalism, characteristics of feudalism, impact of feudalism, significance of feudalism.

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Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

Feudalism and knights in medieval europe.

Viking Sword

Aquamanile in the Form of a Mounted Knight

A Knight of the d'Aluye Family

Michael Norris Department of Education, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

October 2001

From the ninth to the early eleventh centuries, invasions of the Magyars from the east, Muslims from the south, and Vikings from the north struck western Europe. This unrest ultimately spurred greater unity in England and Germany, but in northern France centralized authority broke down and the region split into smaller and smaller political units. By the ninth century, many knights and nobles held estates (fiefs) granted by greater lords in return for military and other service. This feudal system (from the medieval Latin feodum or feudum , fee or fief) enabled a cash-poor but land-rich lord to support a military force. But this was not the only way that land was held, knights maintained, and loyalty to a lord retained. Lands could be held unconditionally, landless knights could be sheltered in noble households, and loyalties could be maintained through kinship, friendship, or wages.

Mounted armored warriors , or knights (from the Old English cniht , boy or servant), were the dominant forces of medieval armies. The twelfth-century Byzantine princess Anna Komnena wrote that the impact of a group of charging French knights “might rupture the walls of Babylon .” At first, most knights were of humble origins, some of them not even possessing land, but by the later twelfth century knights were considered members of the nobility and followed a system of courteous knightly behavior called chivalry (from cheval , the French word for horse). During and after the fourteenth century , weapons that were particularly effective against horsemen appeared on the battlefield, such as the longbow, pike, halberd, and cannon. Yet despite the knights’ gradual loss of military importance, the system by which noble families were identified, called heraldry, continued to flourish and became more complex. The magnificence of their war games—called tournaments—also increased, as did the number of new knightly orders, such as the Order of the Garter.

Norris, Michael. “Feudalism and Knights in Medieval Europe.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/feud/hd_feud.htm (October 2001)

Further Reading

Bennett, Judith M., and C. Warren Hollister. Medieval Europe: A Short History . 10th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2005.

Gies, Joseph and Frances Gies. Life in a Medieval Castle . New York: Harper & Row, 1979.

Additional Essays by Michael Norris

• Norris, Michael. “ The Papacy during the Renaissance .” (August 2007)
• Norris, Michael. “ Arms and Armor in Medieval Europe .” (October 2001)
• Norris, Michael. “ Life of Jesus of Nazareth .” (originally published June 2008, last revised September 2008)

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Essay On Feudalism

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Politics , Military , Security , Economics , Money , Europe , Society , Agriculture

Published: 01/19/2020

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Feudalism refers to the spread of political influence between noble figures. This political system reached the height of its power during Europe’s middle Ages. Europe’s feudal society incorporated the king, lords, and vassals as the predominate figure heads. By exploring concepts of feudalism throughout Europe one can gain a better understanding of political systems during the middle Ages.

The Rise of Feudalism

At the onset of the middle Ages, Europe was facing severe economic and population depletion. This was largely due to the threat of invasion and war with other world populations. In order to resolve this need for protection, Europe implemented a feudal system to ensure that areas could receive proper protection, support, and supervision. The job was simply to over whelming for a single king to maintain these vast areas of land alone. The land was known as the “fief” (“feudalism”). Each fief was overseen by a lord who owned that land and a vassal that was granted access to that land. The vassal was expected to provide military protection for that area of land in return for its use. Peasants typically work for the vassal and provide labor and military forces under the command of the vassal.

Characteristics of Feudalism in Europe

Feudalism in Europe has a few key characteristics. The first is that the economy is primarily supported by agricultural endeavors (“feudalism”). Usually there is not much in the way of actual money, instead relying on agricultural trade. Most land areas are self-sustaining. The second characteristic is the use of the Church to assist in societal and military structure. The Church is in turn entitled to a part of the land and a share in any economic profits.

Decline of feudalism

As available land began to diminish, so did feudalism. The cost of providing land to vassals and the lack of available property meant that lords were eventually unable to keep up with demands. A new money based economy was also beginning to slowly creep into Europe’s consciousness. Instead of relying solely on agricultural trade, the value of currency was beginning to be recognized. The circulation of currency made feudalism less important to society. This also allowed people to become independent of lords and vassals by earning their own place amongst society. The Black Death in Europe also contributed to the end of feudalism. Great masses were essential wiped out by disease leading to a labor shortage (“feudalism”). Those who were fortunate to survive the Black Death moved to towns to fill these positions. Peasants no longer wished to work under their superiors when new opportunities were presented to them. In conclusion, feudalism began in Europe to ensure protection against other populations and create a self-sustaining agricultural economy. The system allowed land, called fief, to be controlled by lords and vassals. In return they provided protection for the area. The lords, vassals, and the Church all held political influence in the area. Feudalism eventually died out as the result of the new currency system and lack of land availability. The Black Death provided survivors the opportunity to break out the role of peasants and create a new system of government.

Works Cited:

"European Feudalism." Middle Ages. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Dec. 2012. . "European Feudalism." For Students. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Dec. 2012.

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