Role of Feudalism in the Middle Ages

480 Words2 Pages
What is feudalism? When did it start? Is it important to the Middle Ages? Is it important to modern day society? Feudalism played a big role in the Middle Ages, particularly between the 9th and 15th centuries. Feudalism also played a big role in modern day society. There are many parts in feudalism, some big and others small. The most important parts in feudalism are when and how it started, the rankings, and oaths with punishments if broken. First of all, when and how feudalism started. Feudalism started when the roman empire fell around the 5th century. People had to protect themselvesfrom barbarians since the Romans couldn't anymore. Feudalism flourished in the High Middle Ages and a little bit in the Late Middle Ages. So feudalism started in the 5th century because the roman empire fell. Next, probably the most important part of feudalism is the rankings they had. The king had complete control of the land he owned. Barons or lords were people who leased land from the king and provided knights for him. Lords were also very powerful and rich. Knights got land from a lord in return for military services. Knights were quite rich and were highly trained warriors. Then the peasants, the lowest class, provided food for the manor and lord, plus some other services. Peasants had no rightssince they couldn't leave the manor or get married with out the lord's permission. Therefore, the rankings in the feudal system were very impotant. Finally, another important part in feudalism was oaths and their punishments if broken. One of the most important oaths, is the oath to the king. The oath to the king includes to be loyal and protect the kingdom when asked. There are also punishments of breaking oaths. You could loss your title, land or other assets if you failed to live up to your promises. In server cases, you could loss your life or a limb. Oaths
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