He was the suzerain, or overlord, of the vassals who held land directly from him. In theory all land belonged to the king or emperor. In time the fief became hereditary, passing usually to the vassal’s oldest son. If a vassal failed to keep his promises, he was supposed to forfeit the land. The tenant became a vassal of the lord and took an oath to follow him in war and perform other services. Such land was said to be held in feud, and each holding was a fief. They then began to grant land to tenants. Many nobles acquired more land than they could manage. At his death it passed into the hands of his protector. The former owner was allowed to use the land during his lifetime. Money was scarce, but the noble was very willing to take land instead. Universitatsbibliothek, Heidelberg, Germany In time of trouble his wooden blockhouse or stone castle served as a refuge for both the villagers and their flocks. People naturally sought the protection of their nearest powerful neighbor. Lacking a strong central government, each district had to look out for itself. People were at the mercy of the various invaders and marauding bandits. In the south Muslims invaded the coasts of Italy and France. From the north came Scandinavian pirates-the Northmen, or Vikings. Moreover, the kingdoms had to deal with invasions and raids. Money almost disappeared, making it impossible for kings to pay their officials and soldiers. The roads and bridges the Romans had built eventually fell into decay. He was crowned emperor in 800 of what later became known as the Holy Roman Empire, but when he died there was no strong ruler to take his place. Charlemagne, king of the Franks, tried to build a Christian empire modeled on that of Rome. The kings warred constantly with one another. On the ruins of the Roman Empire there arose small Germanic kingdoms. This date or 500 is commonly taken as marking the end of ancient times and the beginning of the Middle Ages. In 476 the western Roman Empire came to an end. In 410 Rome fell to Alaric, a Visigoth chieftain. The Romans called these tribes “barbarians,” and their movement into the empire’s lands has traditionally been called the barbarian invasions. Various Germanic tribes, including Goths, Franks, Vandals, and others, began moving into Roman territory at the end of the 4th century, causing great confusion. Its beginnings can be traced to the breakup of the ancient Roman Empire. Background: The Age of Disorderįeudalism grew up in an age of disorder, when the central government was helpless to protect the people. Some aspects of feudalism have survived in laws and social customs of modern European countries. It flourished especially from the 11th century to the end of the 13th century. France was the land of its earliest and most complete development, but in some form or other it was found in all the countries of western Europe. The system of feudalism was established gradually, between the 8th and 11th centuries. The term feudalism therefore describes an entire way of life. It also gave rise to fortified castles, knights in armor, and chivalry. This peculiar system of landholding determined the pattern of government. The noble allowed tenants to use the land, and the tenants owed the noble services or payments in return. The noble’s power was based on the land he held “in feud,” or in return for certain services or payments to a greater lord or the king. This was a social system of rights and obligations based on land ownership patterns.Įach small district was ruled by a duke, count, or other noble. In the Middle Ages, before the rise of national states in western Europe, the people there lived under a system called feudalism.
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