European Feudalism
Europe has been a major power and center of attention since people first inhabited the lands. Commerce, population, and control over Europe have always been an issue. Along with controlling Europe accompanies the loss of control over Europe. Throughout European history the rise and fall of kings, monarchies, and feudalism establish a lasting impression on European institutions. Many rulers incorporated their own ideas and laws, and established many forms of government. The question was not who will be ruling next but which government will be established next. All governments make an impression and have lasting effects on the country and the people it governs. Feudal institutions in medieval Europe were an indirect effect from the black plague, affected European economy, social status, and the way the country was governed. Feudalism, or a feudal state, "is one in which members of the ruling class form a feudal hierarchy with a chief lord our suzerain at its peak"(Painter 4). Feudalism flourished in Europe from the 9th century to about the 15th century. This time was a perfect setting for feudalism. In other terms it is "ant social system in which great land owners or hereditary overlords extract revenue from the land
Now that the majority of the people had moved out of the cities the barrier between the rich and the poor became greater. "Within the ranks of the thenage were wealthy and poor, important and insignificant men; and there was little uniformity in the social and economic condition of the ceorls"(Barlow 12). Many people were farmers and lived on private property, however it was often that people worked the lands for someone else. For reasons such as slavery, paying back debts, or just to have a place to live were all factors. "These dependants were often of the same legal status as the land holder; but their economic and social was inferior. People dying very drastically and at large numbers for unknown reasons were freighting. People began to move from the cities to the country. Due to the fact that common belief was the less people one was around the chance of contracting the disease was decreased. This affected the economy as well as social status of Europe. With more people in the country, the cities lost commence and monetary value from people not spending enough money as well as lost social values. It also established a higher upper class and a lower bottom class. With this now a factor, the rich were still rich and the poor were still poor, however the rich spent money while the poor worked for the rich. People who were barely surviving in the cities had a much harder struggle now. They are now in the countryside with less opportunity. This is where manors and lords began to become popular and set the immediate scene for feudalism. "After the black death of 1348-1350, which killed between a third and half of the European population landlords sought to maintain their position by intensifying seigneurial demands on their remaining peasants and by re-imposing serfdom to prevent tenants from fleeing those demands"(Lachmann 6). factors tended to break up the west into many minor ...feudal practice was destined to become one of the
Some common words found in the essay are:
Bubonic Plague, Europe Lipson, Throughout European, , Black Plague, black plague, social status, feudalism affected, europe positive, social political, economy social status, social status europe, feudal institutions medieval, economy social, affected european, institutions medieval europe, status country, plague affected, black plague affected, indirect effect,
Approximate Word count = 1479
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
