Feudalism - 2848 Words

Feudalism FEUDALISM is a disputed term. Not used at the time. It was invented by jurists in the Renaissance to describe the property laws and customs of the middle ages. A fief, or feudum, was land held by a man from his lord, in return for which he was to provide him with knight services and/or financial payments. Marx contrasted it to capitalism in the widest sense of that word so he inflated the term to mean the political, social, economic, and cultural system of Medieval Europe. A economic system governed not by market relationships but by custom and force. Marx and Smith both saw it as an economy and society marked by poverty, exploitation, and inequality. Squashes manorialism, feudalism, Christianity all together.†¦show more content†¦Everyone came out to greet him, big parade. A diplomatic mission? No, the Byzantine empire was on the verge of bankruptcy. They had tried to reclaim the west and lost. They had to pay off the Persians to keep them from attacking and they were beset on all sides by Muslims. They came to Rome to rob it blind. They took whatever was left in the treasury (not much), and he had his men strip every bit of lead and bronze off every fixture that they could find. They used it to make fitting for shields, armor, horse rigging, etc. And the lead was for pellets that were slung at armies. Most of the stonework of Rome was held together with lead clamps. The Byzantines took these, so everything in Rome began to fall apart. From figuratively to literally. And the lead? Most of the building were made out of wood, but were protected with sheets of lead and all of the gutters and downspouts were made out of lead, as were all the pipes that distributed water through the city. The slabs that held back the Tiber river were made out of stone. During the next flood, the entire bank collapsed, taking with it most of the nearby merchant district and all of the warehouses. Houses, now unprotected, began to rot and roofs caved in. Without water coming in through the pipes, the sewers began quickly to become clogged. The main sewer of the entire city, the Cloaca Maxima, ran beneath the form. When it finally stopped up, all ofShow MoreRelatedFeudalism1025 Words   |  5 PagesExplain how the system known as â€Å"feudalism† worked in Medieval Europe. The bases of feudalism is best described as a social system in Europe throughout the Middle Ages where individuals worked and battled for upper class who gave them protection and the use of the land in return for their services (Merriam-Webster). â€Å"Feudalism† is not a medieval term and not even a translation of a medieval concept (Abels 2010; Brown 2010; Bouchard 1998). In our day and time Feudalism would be difficult and bafflingRead MoreEssay on Feudalism446 Words   |  2 PagesFeudalism Western Europe suffered numerous hardships through the ninth and tenth centuries and this was the ultimate reason they established a new political organization which was known as feudalism. By providing honor, protection, and a sense of control, this new social system revived peace and order in Western Europe after the fall of the Carolingian Empire. Feudalism was a necessary ingredient to yield stability in during these times of calamity. The primary motive behind creating thisRead MoreFeudalism And The Middle Ages816 Words   |  4 PagesFeudalism In The Middle Ages When people conjure images of the Middle Ages, people think of chaos, war, and little improvement. In fact, much of this is true. During the Middle Ages, a system called the Feudal System was formed to maintain order. It might have made life tough for peasants, but it kept nobles, or upper-class people, rich and in power. The Feudal System greatly affected daily life for everyone, but, in time, it collapsed. The constant chaos of the Middle Ages caused the Feudal SystemRead MoreThe Effects of Feudalism Essay1161 Words   |  5 Pagesorganization called feudalism was a way of life that had great effect on people of the time and on the modern world. Feudalism was developed because of the weakness of Europe and its kings. The word feudalism comes from the word fief, which was the land held on condition of feudal service, similar to an estate (English). The fiefs bound together lords and vassals. Feudalism was a structure in which a lord divided his land into smaller parts to give to lesser lords (â€Å"Feudalism†). A noble, or lordRead MoreDemise of Feudalism Essay717 Words   |  3 PagesDemise of Feudalism There were numerous factors involving the demise of Feudalism in Europe. All the different small problems added to the confusion and replacement of feudalism by The Renaissance. The concentration of power in the hands of a few was always a great disruptive force in the feudal system. The rise of powerful monarchs in France, Spain, and England broke down the local organization. One of the determining factors in the downfall of feudalism was the Hundred Years War. Read MoreFall of feudalism paper1229 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ 10/30/2013 Quarterly Assessment How did Political, Social and Economic events which occurred during the Middle Ages contribute to the rapid fall of Feudalism and increase the foundation of nation states? Since politics and social matters are so closely founded the way that these two subcategories of the middle ages clashed against the Feudal way of organizing everything in the middle ages are. Politically kings ruled the way thatRead MoreThe Decline of Feudalism Essay1656 Words   |  7 PagesLiterature June 2nd, 2010 The Decline of Feudalism Feudalism was based on a social structure of hierarchy. With William the Conqueror being the first king, he was named to the top of the hierarchy along with God. Everyone else was below them and had to follow their ways. This system ran systematically for years until things started to change. People were branching out from who the king made them to be. They were creating their own lives. The downfall to feudalism was caused by the Crusades, the merchantRead MoreThe Rise and Fall of Feudalism Essay868 Words   |  4 PagesThe Rise and Fall of Feudalism Federation is a word that describes the United States government. A Federal government is defined as the act of federalizing or joining separate organizations (Answers 1). In the United States, the three branches of government (1). In the Middle Ages most governments changed and rarely stayed the same for really long periods of time. Many things would happen in each country that would change the type of government that each one had. Especially, during the MiddleRead MoreMain Reasons for the Fall of Feudalism1067 Words   |  5 PagesFeudalism developed as a result of the frequent invasions made by the vikings during the Middle Ages around the 900s to early 1500s. Feudalism served its purpose by creating a system where the king would appoint lords that would appoint knights to appoint serfs that would be expected to work the land and fields in exchange for food, protection, and accommodations. It provided stability because lords were able to govern smaller groups of people thro ugh a system called manorialism. Feudalism allowedRead MoreFeudalism and Land Essay7806 Words   |  32 PagesDid the Advantages of Feudalism outweigh the disadvantages? In order to attempt to answer a question such as this we must briefly describe the Feudal system then look at the advantages of having feudalism as a system and also the disadvantages and then secondly look at the alternatives if there was no such system in place. Let us first look at the Feudal system itself. The Feudal system was introduced to England and spread throughout Britain by William the Conqueror after 1066 and the Battle