Why was the feudal system devoloped?

Question

Why was the feudal system devoloped?

Answer 1

What was the purpose of feudalism?

Feudalism was a system of government enforced by William I. He put this into place after his victory at Hastings. From then on it was used for many years as the system of government in Medieval England. William was forced to put this form of government into place for his own safety. He was a foreigner who had just taken over England and was hated by the English people. He was constantly concerned with the threat of rebellion against him. His rule over England was a forceful one. The Feudal system was his solution to this threat. He needed to reward those that had been loyal to him but at the same time keep them loyal and under his service.

So he payed them of with land. After dividing England into plots of land he would present parts of land to nobles. This was on the condition that they stayed loyal to him. They also had to perform duties such as tax collecting. When William was under attack it was the nobles that had to give soldiers and even fight themselves. The feudal system ensured William's safety but also required a lot of his trust. This would apply right down the social positions in these times.

2. Who controlled it?

King William I was supposed to have controlled it. This was not the case at all. In this system every man had a bit of power and all was fair for the Normans. The king controlled the tenants in chief. The Tenants in chief controlled the sub tenants. These were all Normans. The lower positions were the overtaken English men. The sub tenants controlled the peasants and the peasants controlled no one. This was the clever thing about this system. The English had no power over England whatsoever. The king could ask for soldiers from the tenants in chief in return for their awarded land. The tenants in chief would ask the sub tenants for soldiers as well as other duties such as tax collection in return for their own plot of land given to the sub tenants from the tenants in chief.

This meant that the tenants in chief made the sub tenants do their dirty work'. The sub tenants ended up doing the real work. They usually ended up organising and fighting the wars. However in turn the sub tenants could request the English to do what ever he needed them to do. The peasants had no control and were used as soldiers and slaves at complete mercy to the Normans.

3. Who got advantage/disadvantaged out of it?

William I planned out this feudal system in order to reward his friends and get money for protection against his enemies. Being Duke of Normandy e ensured that all the Normans got the most advantage out of this system. Most Normans involved in the invasion became tenants in chief. This was the highest position of power second to king. They had power over great stretches of land. They had control over the English peasants. The Normans got a huge advantage out of the Feudal System.

The English didn't get this treatment. As they were mostly peasants they had to do whatever they were ordered to do. To them it was as if England was becoming a second Normandy! As William had tough rules enforced, rebellion was out of the question. The English were very threatened and treated like refuse.

4. What were the different positions in the system?

The King was the highest position. This was obviously taken by William I. For William this was probably the most threatening position. The Tenants in Chief were Normans. Tenants in chief were usually barons, Earls and Dukes. They had taken oath under the bible to support William at all costs in return for the land awarded to them. When William needed soldiers he went to the tenants in chief. When William wanted the annual tax collection he appointed the duty to the tenants in chief. So it sounds like they had a huge responsibility, this was not the case. The land given to the tenants in chief was still too large for them to control.

The land was divided further still. The under tenants who were Norman knights were awarded this land in return for their services as tax collectors and soldiers. The tenants in chief basically handed their work to the under tenants. I think that they must have had the most strain on them. Who did they order around? The English peasants that fell on their plot of land were immediately under the under tenants service. They were the labourers. They were used as slaves to build the great Norman Castles. In return for all of this they were given a place to live.

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Answer 2

Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century), in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval European political "system" comprised of a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs. The word feudalism was not a medieval term but an invention of 16th-century French and English lawyers to describe certain traditional obligations between members of the warrior aristocracy.

The Feudal System was introduced to England following the invasion and conquest of the country by William I (The Conqueror). The system had been used in France by the Normans from the time they first settled there in about 900AD. It was a simple, but effective system, where all land was owned by the King. One quarter was kept by the King as his personal property, some was given to the church and the rest was leased out under strict controls.

The King: The King was in complete control under the Feudal System. He owned all the land in the country and decided who he would lease land to. He therefore only allowed those men he could trust to lease land from him. However, before they were given any land they had to swear an oath to remain faithful to the King at all times. The men who leased land from the King were known as Barons, they were wealthy, powerful and had complete control of the land they leased from the King.    

Barons: Barons leased land from the King which was known as a manor. They were known as the Lord of the Manor and were in complete control of this land. They established their own system of justice, minted their own money and set their own taxes. In return for the land they had been given by the King, the Barons had to serve on the royal council, pay rent and provide the King with Knights for military service when he demanded it. They also had to provide lodging and food for the King and his court when they travelled around the country. The Barons kept as much of their land as they wished for their own use, then divided the rest among their Knights. Barons were very rich.

Knights: Knights were given land by a Baron in return for military service when demanded by the King. They also had to protect the Baron and his family, as well as the Manor, from attack. The Knights kept as much of the land as they wished for their own personal use and distributed the rest to villeins (serfs). Although not as rich as the Barons, Knights were quite wealthy.



Villeins: Villeins, sometimes known as serfs, were given land by Knights. They had to provide the Knight with free labour, food and service whenever it was demanded. Villeins had no rights. They were not allowed to leave the Manor and had to ask their Lord's permission before they could marry. Villeins were poor.    



To see how the a simple plan showing how the Feudal System works visit http://www.historyonthenet.com/Medieval_...