We explain what feudalism is and how society was divided at that time. In addition, on what was its economy based and its characteristics
What was feudalism?
Feudalism was a system of political-social organization that was expanding from the end of the 9th century, throughout almost three centuries, in much of Western Europe .Feudalism also implied a model of economic organization that originates long before in Rome, when the colonato-patronage regime arose, so that the nobles kept their lands worked by slaves , who would begin to pay tribute.
The generation of wealth came basically from agriculture and the raising of animals , in charge of the servants of the gleba. In feudal society there was still no trade or industry , it was not a monetized system.
Characteristics of feudalism :
Social classes
The company was divided into three well-differentiated estates:
- Nobility. Members of the nobility, owners of large tracts of land, generally received in payment for their military efforts
- Clergy. He dealt with religious affairs, which by then dominated general human behavior
- Servants. Lower stratum and in charge of cultivating the lands and making them produce.
Castles and forts

It was typical that these castle-fortifications had a double wall (one exterior and one interior), and one or more towers , with interior courtyards and sometimes a peripheral moat. The castle was a base for military operations, as well as a home.
Economy
The generation of wealth came basically from agriculture and the raising of animals, in charge of the servants of the gleba. In feudal society there was still no trade or industry , it was not a monetized system.
Payment of taxes

System closed
Feudalism was a closed economic and social system, with no possibility of class mobility (whoever was born a servant would die a servant) . Since the main support of the feudal system was the need to protect each other in a time of continuous invasions for the conquest of lands, once those became less frequent, many stopped feeling the need to be under the protection of a feudal lord .Little by little the 'burgos' emerged , small villages in which artisans and merchants practiced a free economy . And so the feudal system was giving up its place, allowing the birth of a new concept: that of the bourgeoisie .
Concentration of power
All powers (legal, economic and political) were in charge of the feudal lords and members of the clergy . The rest of the population had no say in the decisions.
Vassalage

In this way, it was common for nobles to grant their vassals in return the ownership of some fraction of their lands, which came to be called, precisely, "fiefdoms".
The vassals, in turn, had servants of the gleba , who were obliged to provide their work for free to produce these lands. A feudal lord with numerous vassals sometimes acquired as much or more power than the king himself.
Frequent wars
War was the only way of economic growth , since whoever won those wars kept the lands of the defeated; In this way he increased his endowment of serfs (assigned to the land itself) and his possibility of producing food and adding new vassals.
errant knight

Central role of the Catholic Church

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MA student of the TransAtlantic Masters program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Political Science with a focus on European Studies. Expressed ideas are open to revision. He not only covers Technical articles but also has skills in the fields of SEO, graphics, web development and coding. .
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