The tabs below will introduce feudalism, the economic system that replaced the Roman way of life in Western Europe.
Feudalism, Fiefs, and Fealty
Nobles and Vassals
Feudal Hierarchy
Castles
After the fall of the Roman Empire, warlords fought for power and territory in Europe. Eventually some became kings, but even kings were still vulnerable to attacks by warlords. To reduce this threat, kings would offer powerful warlords near them a deal: If the warlord would swear to protect the king, the king would give him a fief, or land grant. The king would protect the warlord’s fief, and the warlord would protect the king’s kingdom. This was feudalism. Once a warlord made this deal, he became a noble. In this image, a warlord swears his fealty (loyalty) to the king.
What is a fief?
A land grant made by the king to a warlord. The king gave up some of his land in return for the warlord (now a noble) swearing to serve the king in battle and protect his kingdom.
![By Myrabella (Own work) [Public domain or CC0], via Wikimedia Commons](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.accelerate-ed.com/image/1aadd74f-dacb-437d-bd70-c9cdede1f7a0.jpg)
Once a warlord became a noble, he was called a “vassal.” A vassal was someone who had received land in return for pledging his service to another person. A noble who received a large fief from the king often parceled out that land grant to other men who swore loyalty to the noble. Those men became the noble’s vassals. That way, the noble was a vassal and had his own vassals.
How could someone be a vassal and have vassals at the same time?
He was given a fief by the king, which made him the king’s vassal. Then he gave some of that land to other men, who became his vassals.
![[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.accelerate-ed.com/image/da5b8b20-107a-40cb-a14c-f7657a331123.jpg)
This image from 13th-century France shows three levels of medieval society: a knight (center), a priest (left), and a peasant (right). In feudal society, the king was at the top, with the nobility just below him. Knights, who fought as vassals for a noble, came next, along with priests. The peasants were at the bottom. Peasants, called serfs, worked on a noble’s land, farming it in return for part of the crop. Peasants were tied to the land—they came with a fief, and were not allowed to leave it because that would make it less valuable.
Why couldn’t peasants move to a new piece of land?
Peasants were required to farm the land and make it profitable. If they left, a fief would be less valuable because the lord who received it would have to find people to farm it.
![By pikous (flickr.com) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.accelerate-ed.com/image/f0f3ba7b-db56-4f40-8063-32b8e32d82ee.jpg)
This is the Tower of London, the castle that William the Conqueror built to protect London after he led the Norman invasion of England in 1066 CE. Kings and nobles needed castles for defense. Castles housed not only the family of the king or lord, but his army. If an attack came, the peasants fled from their homes to the castle, where they were protected and where they often helped defend the castle from the invaders. If a castle was taken, the king or lord in it was overthrown. It was in the best interests of the peasants to help defend their lord, just as it was in the best interests of the lord to protect his peasants.
Were castles symbolic signs of power, or a more practical defense against attack?
They were both. A castle symbolized the power of the man who built it, and a great castle would hopefully discourage any attacks. But if an attack came, the castle was a fortress, a place to organize defense and launch a counter-attack from.
What did European kings get in exchange for granting land to nobles?
- half the income from peasants' labor
- a promise that the nobles would not fight each other
- the loyalty and military support of the nobles
To maintain control over the powerful and power-hungry nobles, the monarchs struck a deal to ensure the nobles' loyalty and support.
To maintain control over the powerful and power-hungry nobles, the monarchs struck a deal to ensure the nobles' loyalty and support.
To maintain control over the powerful and power-hungry nobles, the monarchs struck a deal to ensure the nobles' loyalty and support.
The emerging system of feudalism depended on the distribution of blocks of land, which were called
- vassals
- fiefs
- serfs
A fief is a piece of land given to a lesser lord or noble by a king.
A fief is a piece of land given to a lesser lord or noble by a king.
A fief is a piece of land given to a lesser lord or noble by a king.
True or False: A vassal could give land to lesser nobles in exchange for loyal service.
- True
- False
True: A person could be a vassal to a higher authority--usually a monarch--and a lord to lesser nobles.
True: A person could be a vassal to a higher authority--usually a monarch--and a lord to lesser nobles.
Summary
Questions answered correctly:
Questions answered incorrectly:
