Middle Ages - a special era, which are inherent in the historically unique characteristics - the heretics and the Inquisition, indulgences and alchemy, crusades and feudalism.
Who is the lord?This definition of the concept of feudalism in more detail below.
concept of feudalism Feudalism
- a special system of land and legal relations established in Western Europe during the Middle Ages.
basis of this form of feudal relationship was.It is the owner of a plot of land (fief).Each feudal lord got the land together with the peasants on the other, the larger of the owner (lord), and was considered since his vassal.All vassals were in the military and seniors have had on the first call to speak up in arms against his enemies.
hierarchy
hierarchy of feudalism was quite complicated.To understand it, we first consider a simplified model of the relationship of 3 units: the lower stage was a farmer, a commoner, which was dominated by the host - a feudal lord, on which stood the monarch.
feudal But - this is not just a person belongs to a certain stratum of society is part of a complex system.Feudal staircase consists of subordinate knights - retainers, who were in the service of higher lords.Each Senor, in turn, was also someone's vassal.The head of state was the king.
schematic circuit hierarchy can be represented in this form (from lowest to highest): a peasant - Knight (vassal 1) - Senor 1 (2 vassal) - Senor 2 (vassal 3) - Senor 3 (a vassal of 4) - ...- King.
The main feature of the hierarchy is the fact that a major feudal lord had no authority over all subordinate vassals.I observe the rules of "vassal of my vassal - not my vassal."
feudal customs
all landowners, regardless of the size of their holdings, were not different economic.They are not trying to increase their wealth at the expense of accumulation and improvement of production methods.What are the main sources of income had any feudal lord?It requisitions from the peasants, seizures, robberies.All extracted spent on expensive clothes, luxurious surroundings and feasts.
Among the feudal code of honor there was a knight - courage, feats, protection of the weak.However, historically documented other facts they commonly exhibit rudeness, cruelty and willfulness.Considered themselves God's chosen, the common people despised.
relationship between lord and vassal were complex.Often elect a vassal to his lord he attacked and captured his wealth, the peasants and the land.
difference from the feudal slave system
feudal lord - it's not a slave owner.Slaves belonged to the owner, did not have their own will and property.Farmers belonging to the feudal lord, owned the property, a private economy that manage their own - could sell, give, exchange.For his piece of land they paid dues to the owner, and he provided them with security.
feudal lord could not declare war on a neighbor, to conclude a truce with him, organized military campaigns with the aim of capturing prisoners for whom he could obtain a ransom, robbing foreign farmers and other landowners, the church.
All this created the situation, "state within a state", weakened the power of the monarch and the whole continental Europe, where the majority of residents due to looting by all sides were in poverty and hunger.
