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The School History Team Feudalism WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ● ● ● Origins and development of the feudal system Features of the feudal system Decline of feudalism FACT FILE Miniature painting of peasants at work from the Breviarium Grimani, c.15th century Let’s know more about Feudalism! Feudalism was a political, economic and social system that flourished in Western Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. It had its roots in Germanic and Roman traditions. It was characterised by a king’s ownership of vast land and the distribution of it to people in exchange for services. Its two principal institutions were vassalage and the fief. With the rise of towns and commerce and the decline of local organisation, feudalism gradually broke down in the continent. However, many of its remnants persist and still influence Western European institutions. Origins and development of the feudal system Feudalism was a socio-political and economic system utilised in Western Europe during the medieval period. It developed as early as the 8th century and flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries. The word 'feudalism' derives from the medieval Latin terms feudalis, meaning fee, and feodum, meaning estate of land. The bond of mutual loyalty between lord and vassal, which formed such an essential part of medieval feudalism, appears to have derived from the German comitatus described by Tacitus in 98 CE, the band of free fighting men associated with a prominent leader in an equal and honourable status. Cornelius Tacitus ● The companions followed their chieftain into battle, having sworn to fight to the death in support of him. In return, the chieftain looked after their welfare, gave them leadership, provided food, shelter and entertainment in times of peace. ● The Romans had long known a somewhat similar arrangement, in which clients commended themselves to a powerful patron, giving personal devotion in return for subsistence and protection. ● But this involved a definitely inferior status on the part of the client, and it was thus unlike the honourable relationship of vassalage which became a part of feudalism. ● ● ● ● ● ● During the economic and political decay of the later Roman Empire, clientage was often linked with landholding. Small farmers found it impossible to compete with the great estates, and many commended themselves to powerful landlords, giving up their lands and receiving back the right of their use under the lords’ protection. These relationships probably continued after the use of the Germanic kingdoms on Map of Europe in 526 CE the ruins of the Roman Empire in the West. In a predominantly agrarian economy, rights to land became the basis of wealth and power. The relations of personal dependency between lord and vassal, known as vassalage, was more and more associated with rights of land, termed the fief. THINK ABOUT THIS! 1 ACTIVITIES FOR AGES 11-14 DEFINITION. Based on your knowledge of the resource, give meaning to the following terms. (X marks) TERMS FEUDALISM VASSALAGE FIEF HOMAGE COMITATUS DEFINITION THINK ABOUT THIS! 1 ACTIVITIES FOR AGES 14-16 SYNTHESIS. Look for four images that best represent the feudal society in medieval Europe. Write a synthesis using these images. (X marks) This resource is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. 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