Feudalism

If you order your cheap custom paper from our custom writing service you will receive a perfectly written assignment on feudalism. What we need from you is to provide us with your detailed paper instructions for our experienced writers to follow all of your specific writing requirements. Specify your order details, state the exact number of pages required and our custom writing professionals will deliver the best quality feudalism paper right on time.

Our staff of freelance writers includes over 120 experts proficient in feudalism, therefore you can rest assured that your assignment will be handled by only top rated specialists. Order your feudalism paper at affordable prices with cheap custom writing service!

Word count 1,57

FEUDALISM Write my Essay on feudalism

At the fall of the Roman Empire people were desperate for security. People turned to each other and began to live in small communities. To provide order a hierarchy was formed. At the top of the hierarchy was the King. The king gave out his land to lords who maintained it for him. In exchange for this land they were expected to fight for the King and protect him in times of war. Below the lords was a knightly class of warriors. There sole purpose of knights was to seek out battles and quests. At the bottom of this hierarchy were peasants. The purpose of peasants was to provide food to sustain the manor. The manor was the center of feudal life. The lord and his family and servants typically lived in a small castle or fortress surrounded by the homes of the peasants. During this period of time towns became obsolete. Manors were isolated from each other and had to sustain themselves without outside assistance.

Kings claimed to be vassals of God which gave them a great deal f power over their kingdom. They ruled over their lords and had complete power over them. Because they were appointed by God, for anyone to rebel against them would be to rebel against of God. They granted lords land in return for their loyalty. The portions of land that he granted to them were called fiefs, and could be taken back at any time. The King also gave land to the bishops, who were often wealthier than the lords. The kings palace and estate were more grand than that of any lord. There were exotic animals, and gardens. There was always entertainment and grand banquets in the palace of the King.

The Lords did not have as much power as the King. The king could revoke there land at any time so they must appease him to keep their power in most cases. However sometimes Lords would have great armies that rivaled those of the King. So as not to be attacked by his own vassals, or subjects he would in turn have to meet their demands. This relationship between the King and his lords was a fragile one. As was the relationship between the lords and their peasants. In exchange for food the lords offered peasants protection and land to cultivate. Many lords were hard on their peasants, demanding to much food or taxes. The peasants were unable to feed themselves and they would often revolt against their lords. The lord was also charge the law and justice for those who served under him. It was solely up to him to decide what would happen to anyone who was considered a criminal. Many peasants lived in fear of their lord and did what they could to avoid his wrath.

Peasants were at the bottom of the hierarchy and the foundation for feudal society. They lived to serve their lord and had very few rights, if any. They needed to work six days a week from sunrise to sunset to provide for themselves as well as their lord. As decreed by the church they were no allowed to work on Sunday, the Sabbath. Most of their time working was for their lord. When they were able to gather food for themselves they still owed a percentage of that to the lord as well. The land that they worked was not their own, it belonged to the lord. Nothing in fact actually belonged to them, their homes to their food and even their clothes were the property of the lord. The only way a peasant was paid was by being allowed to stay on the land which he worked, and could grow some food for himself.

Peasants were bound to their lord and his land. They pay homage to him, and were required to be loyal to him. They lived in small homes clustered around the manor. This cluster of homes was similar to a small village. It was surrounded by a wall for protection. Each home had a small garden that provided each household with fresh vegetable. The houses themselves were small and rickety. They often made of mud or stone, depending on what was readily available. When called upon a peasant was required to fight in battle for his lord. They also were required to pay their lord taxes, for the right to hunt fish and gather food on his land. On top of this peasants also paid taxes to the church,. These taxes were called tithes. Despite going to church peasants remained highly superstitious. During this time they believed in things such as witches. Many peasant women were burned as witches during the middle ages.

Another level in feudal hierarchy were knights. A knight was a professional soldier. He was usually responsible for his weapons, his horses, his attendants and his flag. His horses each had their own use, one for battle, one for the route and one for luggage. He had several attendants, one to conduct the horses, another to handle the heaviest weapons, another to aid him in mounting his horse for battle, and the fourth to guard prisoners. A knight usually carried the flag of the king or lord he was fighting for. The flag was a distinctive mark of chivalry. Chivalry was the code which knights lived by. It was the rules of conduct which the warrior class followed. It outlined how knights were to treat the clergy, women and lower class citizens.

A knight had to pay for his own way. He had to take care of his horse and pay his attendants. Lords claimed to not have enough wealth to pay the knights. The only means by which lords paid their knights was by granting them fiefs just as the kings did to them. The knightly profession was the only true career of the middle ages. Only the sons of a knight or Lord were eligible to its ranks. These boys were sent to the court of some noblemen where they were trained to use horses and weapons and were taught lessons of chivalry.

An important aspect of feudal society was the church. At the top of papal hierarchy were the bishops. They held a great deal of power over everyone including Kings. They had the power to excommunicate anybody from the church. Because of this the King granted them land just as they did for the lords. This was a primary way in which the church gained it's wealth. However, the church gained most of it's wealth from the taxes it charged. The church taxed everyone from lords to the peasants. These taxes were called tithes.

A great difference between the church and the rest of feudal society was it's ability to read and write. Only members of the clergy were literate during the middle ages. During this time members of the church rewrote ancient Greek and Roman texts. With out them much of this literature would be lost today.

With very few exceptions women did not hold any power in the middle ages no mater what their status in feudal hierarchy. Women were expected to work and maintain the house. Wives of lords were in charge of maintaining the manor while their husbands were away at war. They were looked down upon in this period of time. They were looked upon as the origin of sin as it states in the bible. Many women were accused as being witches and were burned for heresy.

It wasn't until later in the middle ages that the view of women changed. With the aid chivalric code, and rise in popularity of the Virgin Mary women were not looked down as they previously have been. Chivalric code stated standards in which ladies should be treated. They were viewed in a more idealized fashion. This brought on the idea of courtly love, which brought out more noble actions in men. The rise of popularity in the Virgin Mary aided in changing the view of women. They were no longer viewed as the origin of sin but instead they were viewed in a holy aspect. Despite the change in the way women were viewed through the middle ages, their command did not. They continued to hold little power no matter what role they played in feudal society.

Feudal hierarchy was a primitive way of life considering the Greeks an Romans that predated the middle ages. Out desperation and fear the people of this time they created small self sufficient communities to protect themselves in these dangerous times. These small communities gave way to towns and out of feudal society a middle class rose. A class above the poverty of peasantry and below the excess of noblemen. Feudalism eventually gave way to greater monarchies which can still be seen today. Feudalism was a step back for mankind , but sometimes that is was needs to happen for mankind to move forward.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Herlihy, David, The History of Feudalism, New York, Walker (171, c170)

Davis, William Stearns, 1877-10. Life on a Medieval Barony; A Picture of a Typical Feudal Community, New York and London, Harper [c1]

http//nc.essortment.com/feudalismmiddle_rgjn.htm

http//www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/feudal.html

Please note that this sample paper on feudalism is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on feudalism, we are here to assist you. Your cheap college papers on feudalism will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality.

Order your authentic assignment from cheap custom writing service and you will be amazed at how easy it is to complete a quality custom paper within the shortest time possible!