significance of feudalism in the middle ages

SIGNIFICANCE OF FEUDALISM IN THE MIDDLE AGES FREE

William the conqueror was a very intelligent king and one of his first acts after winning the battle of Hastings in 1066, was to create a new feudal system in England that required all land in the country to be handed over to him. It was a simple, but effective system, where all land was owned by the King. The feudal system had been used in France by the Normans from the time they first settled there in about 900 AD.

The feudal system was introduced to England following the invasion and conquest of the country by William I, The Conqueror. The Feudal system helped William the Conqueror consolidate his power over England. In 1066,William the conqueror created the Feudal system in England. They were not allowed to leave the Manor and had to ask their Lord’s permission before they could marry.

SIGNIFICANCE OF FEUDALISM IN THE MIDDLE AGES FREE

They had to provide the Knight with free labour, food and service whenever it was demanded. Villeins, sometimes known as serfs, were given land by Knights. Although not as rich as the Barons, Knights were quite wealthy.

The Knights kept as much of the land as they wished for their own personal use and distributed the rest to villeins or serfs. They also had to protect the Baron and his family, as well as the Manor, from attack. Knights were given land by a Baron in return for military service when demanded by the King. The Barons kept as much of their land as they wished for their own use, then divided the rest among their Knights. They also had to provide lodging and food for the King and his court when they travelled around his realm. In return for the land they had been given by the King, the Barons had to serve on the royal council, pay rent, and provide the King with Knights for military service when he demanded it. They established their own system of justice, minted their own money and set their own taxes. They were known as the Lord of the Manor and were in complete control of this land. Barons or nobles leased land from the King that was known as a manor. They were wealthy, powerful and had complete control of the land they leased from the King. The men who leased land from the King were known as Barons or nobles. However, before they were given any land they had to swear an oath of fealty to the King at all times. He typically allowed tenants he could trust to lease land from him. He owned all the land in the country and decided who he would lease the land too. The King was in complete control under the feudal system. Feudalism is important to history because it was it was what made William I, the conquerer popular, it kept peace and protection among the land, and it gave the king more power. The Middle Ages or medieval times are believed to have started with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 and to have lasted about 1,000 years until about 1450. Some parts of society were involved more than others. Everybody in society was involved with feudalism. Others, like serfs and slaves, did not enjoy feudalism. Some people, like the royalty and nobles, supported and liked feudalism. Feudalism was the way of life for people in the Middle Ages.

Significance of feudalism in the middle ages