Feudalism (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what feudalism was, its exercise of power and what the fief was. Also, its characteristics, when it emerged and how it ended.

The fief was a contract between the feudal lord and the vassal.

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What was feudalism?

feudalism It was a social, political and economic system that predominated during the Middle Ages from the 9th to the 15th century. It was characterized by the vassalage system and is considered by many to be the “Dark Ages”, due to bloody wars, epidemics and little scientific progress.

One of the main characteristics of the feudal system was the decentralization of power, exercised through nobles organized in fiefs, who had relative independence from the monarch, but were subordinate to their king with close ties of loyalty. The nobles inherited their titles, which were passed from generation to generation.

What was the fief?

the word feudalism It comes from “fief”, a name given to the basic organization of the time. The fiefdom It was a contract between two people: the feudal lord and the vassal

In this “pact” mutual relations were established, The vassal received a land to live in and military protection in exchange for a relationship of dependency with the feudal lord. The vassal had to administer the land and take up arms in defense of his lord if necessary. Besides, he had to pay tribute from his harvest or production.

Within this structure there were also peasants, who were those who worked the land and were under the total domain of the feudal lord, so they were not considered free men.

During the feudal era, land was a guarantor of money and, therefore, the most valuable possession. Economic activities were restricted and consisted mainly of agriculture and artisanal production.

Origin of feudalism

Feudalism arose, first of all, with the decline of the Roman Empire, which by losing large areas of land began to lose influence over the people.

The insecurity resulting from The constant barbarian invasions led to the decline of the cities and the formation of the feudal structure in which vassals placed themselves at the disposal of a feudal lord and received protection behind the castle walls.

The entire social and moral order of the time was explained under the figure of God, since the king had lost political power and was nothing more than the divine representative on earth.

Given the incompetence of the monarchs to confront the invasions and the subsequent political and social crisis, power became in the hands of the feudal lords who became the maximum social leaders. They had to regulate order and maintain peace within their structure, they administered justice, collected taxes and provided protection to the population from the castle, which was erected as a new symbol of power.

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Features of feudalism

Among the main characteristics of feudalism are:

The emergence of the vassalage relationship between a feudal lord and his vassals.
A society divided into three differentiated social classes : the nobility, the clergy and the Third Estate or the plain state.
The construction of walled castles .
An economy based on agriculture and livestock .
The frequent wars for the territorial dispute.
The payment of taxes .
The Catholic Church as a great source of power.
The decentralization of political power

Social classes of feudalism

During feudalism, social classes were static, that is, it was a closed social system in which social mobility did not exist but rather society was divided into classes. Within this structure, which was pyramidal, were:

The nobility. Made up of royalty and feudal lords, they had most of the land and political power. This stratum used to be accessed by lineage.
The clergy. Formed by religious who represented the Church and fulfilled ecclesiastical, political, educational and/or social roles, and had privileges.
The Third Estate. Made up of the majority of the population, citizens who were not nobles or clergy, had no privileges and paid taxes. It was a very varied group made up of peasants, merchants and bourgeois.

End of feudalism

The historical process that marked the end of feudalism It does not have an exact date developed unevenly in different parts of Europe from the 14th century onwards.

There are several reasons that led to its end, among which are:

Rise of the bourgeoisie. Many historians agree that trips to the East for commercial purposes generated a new social class: the bourgeoisie, made up of free men, but not nobles.
Demographic decline The population decreased as a result of plagues and wars, which led to a decrease in the available labor force.
New forms of economic development The saturation of the land led to the search for new forms of economic expansion among which industry stood out, its emergence marking the passage from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age.
Discontent of the peasants The pressure and overexploitation of labor by the feudal lords, the inefficiency of the agricultural system of the time and the low population generated a decrease in the available labor force.
Growth of cities The cities received people who were expelled or who did not want to belong to the feudal system.

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