Written by: Lauren Kearney Have you noticed a sudden change in government? This past year our great country has made the transition to the government style of feudalism. Feudalism is a form of government in which there is an agreement between kings and lords. Our country has a hierarchy that goes in order of king, bishop, baron, lord, peasants, and serfs. The king is the top leader of the land. Kings can not rule all alone, so barons assist in return, they are loyal to the king. Bishops are top church leaders and manage areas called diocese. The bishop’s are high in power due to their jobs in the Roman Catholic Church. Bishops are rich because the church receives a 10% tithe from all people. Barons rule large areas of land called fiefs. They report directly to the king and are very powerful. They divide land among lords who run individual manors. Their job is to maintain an army that is at the king’s service. If they do not have an army, sometimes they will pay the king taxes instead. This tax is called shield money. Lords run the local manors, but are also knights. These lords could be called into battle at any moment by their Baron. |
The lords own anything and everything on their land including: peasants, crops, and the village. Peasants and serfs are the lowest class. Most of the people are currently peasants. These people have rough lives, however some peasants are considered free and could own their own businesses. Some examples are carpenters, bakers, and blacksmiths. Others are slaves, they own nothing and pledge loyalty to their local lord. They work long days, six days a week and often barely have enough food to survive. Under this feudal system, land is granted to people in exchange for service. It starts at the top with the king granting land to his soldiers all the way down to a peasant getting land to grow his crops of food. The center of life in our great country is the manor. The manor is run by the local lord. He lives in a large house or castle where people gather for celebrations or for protection if they have been attacked. A small village, like ours, forms around the castle which includes the local church. Farms then spread out from there which are worked by the peasants. Clearly, our country is in good hands with the feudal system.
Work cited: www.ducksters.com Medieval and Early Modern Times Textbook |