Feudalism
The feudal system is a political system that was prevalent in Europe in between the eighth
and fourteenth centuries. The feudal system social hierarchy largely supported most of the
agricultural society. In the feudal system, most of the rights and privileges were given to the
Upper classes. In this hierarchical structure, the Royalty (most likely a king) occupied the
topmost position, followed by the Nobility (which may have included barons, dukes, lords and
bishops), followed by Common People (which was split into two tiers; knights and peasants).
Let us go into the details of each and every class of the feudal society.
The King/Monarch
The King or the Monarch ruled the whole kingdom and owned all the land in the country. The
king had total control over all the assets and he used to decide as how much quantity of land
to provide on lease to the barons. The barons had to swear an oath before taking up the
granted land on lease, so as to remain faithful to the king at all the times. In case any of the
barons exhibited poor performance, the king had the power to withdraw the granted land and
give it on lease to any other person belonging to the baron class. All the judicial power was in
the hands of the king.
The Nobility
The Barons or nobles leased lands from the kings, which was known as a manor. The Barons
in the feudal system social hierarchy were the second wealthiest class. They were called as
the Lord of the Manor. They established their own legal systems, designed their own currency
and set their own tax regulation schemes.
In return of the land that they have taken on lease from the King, the Barons had to perform
the following functions for them:
They had to provide the King with Knights to tackle with any form of war.
They had to provide food / lodging facilities to the king when they traveled.
They had to pay the applicable rents and taxes.
The Common People
Both Knights and Peasants were in the bottom class of the feudal system, however, the
Knights were above the Peasants. The Knights were provided the leased land by the barons
and in return, they provided military service to the king at the time of need. The Peasants
were the poorest of the Common People. They had to provide food and service to their
superior classes on demand. They were not allowed to leave the Manor without prior
permission. They had no rights and they were also not allowed to marry without the
permission of their Lords. Not to mention, they were often overtaxed.