The Feudal System - 1000 - 1400
The feudal system was the social system during the Middle Ages. After the fall of Charlemagne's Empire, chaos set in. There was a short time of rest during the revival of the Empire under Otto I.
From the time of the fall of Adam, up to today, mankind has never learned to live in peace with one another. People are always fighting. This is evidence that the Bible is true. It tells about how Adam sinned when God told him and Eve not to eat the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil tree. But they listened to Satan and did what he tempted them to do, and they plunged the whole human race into sin.
We see the first murder taking place between two of Adam and Eve's sons, Cain and Abel. And it continues throughout history, and always will be until this age is over.
We are dealing again with the destruction of the Barbarians. Because of their destructive acts, it caused a need for defense to rise up. That was why the Feudal system came into being. It protected the European culture from the attacks of the Barbarian tribes.
Here is how the system worked; The king, or overlord, would give land to a vassal. The vassal would serve in the military for exchange of land. They had sub-vassals under them, who also received parts of their lands. There was a hierarchy for this system. At the top was the king, or overlord. Under the king was the vassal. Under the vassal was the sub-vassal and the lesser nobles. Under them were the knights. Under the knights were the freemen. And under the freemen were the serfs. The serfs were kind of like slaves and were owned by the overlord (king). It was possible for kings to be overthrown, if enough nobles got together and rose up against the king. Because of their sinful hearts, the nobles usually fought against each other. The feudal system ended when kings gained power over their nobles. The power of the nobles was broken by the church and the rising middle-class merchants.
No comments:
Post a Comment