FEUDALISM

The most important features of medieval Europe were the church (Latin Catholic) and feudalism. Charles Martel, a Frankish general who was Charlemagne's grandfather, had started this. In the early 8^th century, he created this system to resist attacks by Saxons and Moors (Spanish Muslims). Charlemagne developed and used this system to create the Holy Roman Empire.

A fief was a hereditary grant of land made in return for military support. Feudalism became simultaneously the military, legal, political and social systems of medieval Europe.

Each Germanic king had a group of trusted warriors called vassals. These top troops fought on horseback. The invention of the stirrup allowed cavalry to use lances and swords without losing balance or being easily knocked off. For the next 600 years, the knight was the main feature of European warfare.

Only a rich man could afford a horse and armor and the time to train in their use. Land was the only source of wealth. Therefore, Charlemagne divided his kingdom among his vassals. These benefices (held in trust) provided them with the necessary income, which had to be repaid by loyalty and military aid to Charlemagne.

The lord who granted the fief was called the suzerain. The supreme suzerain was supposed to the king but many top vassals created personal armies. These top vassals also acted as suzerains, who subdivided their fiefs among their own vassals. The lowest vassal was a knight who had just one small manor, worked by his peasants.

Men became inter-dependent for land and protection. Each noble also served as a lord who made laws, provided courts and collected taxes in his own fief and on his own manor. What had started, as a system of defense also became the system of government. Each noble played several roles but most people were peasants with no say in anything. The clergy of the Church were the only medieval Christians who were not participants in this system. Thereby feudalism finally restored some peace, justice and security in Europe.

FEUDAL ORGANIZATION


	  Knight A1a

				Counts A1	Knight A1b

						Knight A1c


		Duke A		Counts A2	Knight A2a

									Common-Peasants

KING  ------								(about 90% of

(Supreme Suzerain)		     Counts A3       Knight A3a		     Europe's medieval

									 population.)





		Duke B		Counts B	  Knights B





		Duke C		Counts C	  Knights C

The king was supposed to the supreme suzerain since all the land in the kingdom was his. All dukes were vassals to their king.

Duke "A" is suzerain only to Counts A1, A2 and A3, who are vassals to only Duke "A" Count "A1" is suzerain only to Knights A1a, A1b and A1c, who are vassals only to Count "A1". A knight might have lesser knights as his vassals. Besides being a certain noble rank, the term "knight" was also used to refer to any armored cavalryman.

Nobles fought as armored cavalry; peasants as lightly armed infantry. Each noble was also the lord of all peasants on his manor.

The king was the only one who was not a vassal. He received his kingdom from God by birth or by arms. Each suzerain kept the best piece of land for his own use as a manor. The rest of fief was subdivided into smaller fiefs for granting to his own vassals. Only those to whom you gave fiefs were your vassals. Only the one you received your fief from was your suzerain. Yet every noble was also supposed to be a vassal of the king. The lowest knights were the only nobles who were not suzerains for their manors were too small to further subdivide.

Feudal Rights and Responsibilities:

Suzerain owed vassals: 1. protection from enemies.

2. justice in his court

3. consultation for information and advice

Vassals owed suzerain: 1. military service - usually 40 days per year

2. castle guard

3. attendance at court for advice

4. customary aids - (a) ransom for a captured lord

(b) payment on knighting of suzerain's eldest son and/or marriage of eldest daughter.

5. extraordinary aids - extra payments when his suzerain went on a crusade or was carrying out some other special task.

6. incidents: (a) relief - inheritance tax on the fief when either the suzerain or vassal died.

(b) wardship - suzerain's guardianship of a minor heir to a fief.

(c) marriage -suzerain's right to name a husband for the heiress to a fief.

(d) escheat - suzerain's right to recover a fief if no heir.