Feudalism: Society, Economy, and Politics in Medieval Europe
Feudalism: Concept and Appearance
Political regime based on economic and social relations of service and protection provided respectively by vassal to the lord and the lord to the vassal. It emerged in Europe in the early Middle Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire and consolidated between the 10th and 13th centuries. A crisis triggered in the time of the Roman Empire by the barbarian invasions led to a process of ruralization conducive to the emergence of noble relations. Many farmers filed for protection from a great owner and remained in a state of semi-freedom.
Feudalism as a Political and Military System
The dismemberment of the Carolingian Empire meant the decline in royal power and the need for distributed power between the king, who had the role of primum inter pares, and local lords who had full political, economic, and judicial autonomy in their territories. The gentlemen were nominal vassals of the king, but the real allegiance was that they exercised on commoners (serfs) who owed their work and their property in exchange for the protection of their lives. Serfs could work the lord’s lands in exchange for personal services or taxes (cash or kind). The feudal lord, in exchange for land he received from the king, had to protect the inhabitants of the manor, administer justice, and represent both the crown. He was obliged to pay the king “Auxilium” (military aid) and “Consilium” (council). The king reserved for part of the kingdom to administer it directly (real property of the monarchy). Political and military dangers of the feudal system were the potential wars between nobles and possible rebellion of noblemen against the monarchy.
Feudalism and Economic System: Territorial Dominion and Lordship Court
In fief, all types of land were:
- Alods: Small land holdings situated in the manor but owned by the free farmers. They were few and would wither away, these being delivered by the farmers in time of hardship.
- Reservation lands: The best property of the lord. Its fruits were entirely for the lord but not worked on.
- Manses: Owned by the lord, who had been assigned to semi-free peasants. The peasant worked the land but must:
- Give the lord part of their farm work
- Work some days at the reserve of the lord
- Work in the workshops of the lord (mills, forges). These workshops were the only ones that existed on the manor because they were forbidden to ride. The farmers had to attend workshops or workshops that were not those of his master in which to pay for use.
- Perform military service in case of danger
- Accept the justice of the feudal lord who is entitled to life or death of his serfs. Lord Justice may charge or impose fines and also collect fees for the use of roads or navigable rivers.
Income earned by the lord derived from the cultivation of land is known as income. Income earned by the lord thanks to the judicial power is the income of jurisdiction and the set of all is called manorial rents. The origins of the feudal system seem to be found in certain institutions derived from both the Roman and Germanic world, but it will be from the Carolingian period when feudal vassal relations shape their characteristics. The original idea is that many free men who want more security are entrusted to a more powerful one, as they used to offset those last grant given some benefit, usually land. The basic elements of feudal relations will then be commendation and profit. Subjects were free to everyone who stood under the protection of a person more powerful, to whom they promised fidelity and protection, and from whom they expected any benefit. The contract was formalized through the ceremony of homage, more and more complicated, in which the union were prominent features of the hands of the lord and vassal and that sealed the pledge of mutual fidelity. Then the lord gave his vassal an object as a symbol of the benefit that it provided, this was the investiture. Henceforth, one and the other remained closely linked. This contract was broken when a party breached its obligations. The consolidation of feudal society came when economic commitments tended to become hereditary.
Bases of Feudal Society
- A social hierarchy, the feudal pyramid: The king at the apex of divine authority, but in practice, it was not always higher than the power of the nobility. After the king, we find the great feudal lords (barons, dukes, earls, marquises…), the higher nobility that really has the power required to “auxilium and consilium” with the king. The bottom of these men would encounter in the lower nobility (infantry…) often administering portions of the fiefs of feudal lords who were vassals. Below we find the soldiers, men who had no subjects. At the base of the pyramid are the serfs (the common people, mostly peasants). Between the lord, we would have to include the higher clergy (bishops, archbishops, abbots of the monastery) with high economic power and owners of vast lands.
- Eminently rural society: Due to urban decay and trade, land would be the most valuable.
- Violent society: Wars between nobles, nobles against the king, riots, and revolts suppressed harshly.
- Unsophisticated society, simple and stationary: It is a class character: oratores (clergy), bellatores (lords and noble warriors), and laboratores (peasants who have to contribute to the maintenance of the other estates).
- Important role of the church: Social order dictated by God, legitimization of power, hoarder of culture (monasteries).
Resurgence of Towns and Medieval Commerce
The most significant development that offered late medieval Europe about the Middle Ages was the revival of urban life. The old “civitates” Roman had survived only in Italy. In the rest of Europe, there will be no cities until the year 1000. From the 11th century, the birth of many cities arose from the establishment of merchants and craftsmen in the vicinity of a fortified nucleus. Eventually, this will end by appointing a new population: the bourgeoisie. They were specialists in manufacturing production and exchange of goods (craft and trade). Their proliferation relieved the progress made in European society as regards the division of labor. The countryside sent their surplus agricultural to acquire these cities the products than needed. The urban expansion was uneven in Europe. It was very important to the Netherlands and northern Italy but insignificant in other territories such as Scotland. The medieval concept covers both populous cities (Paris, London, Florence) and small towns that only worked as regional markets. In any case, the cities grew during the late Middle Ages. Its population increased by the constant arrival of immigrants seeking work and freedom. So did the need to erect new walls. Most populated cities of the Christian West were in Italy, not forgetting Paris or London. The expansion of cities involved the development of both craft production and trade. Everyone working in the same trade formed a corporation that had religious characteristics and mutual aid. In time, they became associations (unions) to defend their interests and to ensure the quality of their products. Within each trade, there were 3 categories: master, officer, and apprentice. The industry most characteristic of the late Middle Ages was fabric from wool and, to a lesser extent, cotton and silk. Major producing cities were Flanders and Florence, later joined by regions of England and Holland.
Medieval Trade
Manufacturing growth parallels the growth of commerce. Exchanges were needed in a society that was beginning to specialize. Transactions are conducted not only with the bourgeoisie and rural environment but also develops long-distance trade, thanks to the newfound peace in the roads, improved roads, and the increase in the currency. From the twelfth century, which stimulated much commercial expansion, born exhibitions founded by kings or feudal lords were periodically at a place and dates previously established. The major one was Champagne in the 13th century.