The Middle Ages is also known as the Age of Faith, since the Catholic Church dominated the lives of rich and poor. Those among the peasants who were particularly talented became specialists, such as blacksmiths, fletchers, and coopers. Medieval society was organized into a pyramid of feudal relationships, with the king and his nobles at the top and the hard-working peasants comprising the bulk of the population. During much of this time fighting and warfare were rampant, and the castle, defended by armies of fearless knights, stood as a bastion of security. Eventually people want something more valuable than land for their services and that is what causes feudalism to break down.The historical era known as the Middle Ages covers nearly a thousand years, stretching from the fall of Rome in the 5th century CE through the Renaissance in the 15th century CE. Much depended on how it was implemented and what the ethics of the nobility happened to be.
The pros and cons of feudalism make it difficult to say whether it is a beneficial or detrimental system of ruling. If there wasn’t enough money available to pay the needed taxation, then they could lose their land, be thrown into prison, or even executed.
In return for this privilege, they had to respond to requests for troops when needed, provide a portion of their crops or work as taxes, and bear additional expenses for war or defense when called upon. In order for the working class to gain access to land to work or own, they had to pledge their support to their noble, their king, or both. Freedoms that were obtained were very rarely free. Even when travel did happen, people from neighboring regions were often treated with hostility instead of welcoming arms. It created a system of isolated regions, even within the same overall kingdom, that could develop some very distinct differences that had the potential to create a civil conflict. This was even true of the noble class unless there was a need to expand or defend the territory. Most people in a feudalism system would rarely travel outside of their region. This issue still exists today when nations decide to isolate instead of create trading relationships. That’s the problem when everything is locally emphasized without much trade. If there was one bad growing system in a region, then the entire ruling system in that area could come tumbling down. This could make life very difficult for the working classes. People could uproot to a new noble, but would often be threatened with death or tracked down if this happened. The exchange gave the nobles riches and the working classes a chance to live their lives in the way they wished without much interference beyond their duties to the region.īecause the chain of command started at the very top, the power of that position made it easy to abuse everyone else within that region. The noble classes could provide this in exchange for a portion of the goods and services that the working class created. The working classes required protection from other regions who might want to take what they had. In feudalism, there was always a job available for someone who wanted to work. Trades only happened periodically, which kept the economy stable locally. Each ruler had their own classes of people in the region, from workers to soldiers, that helped to provide for each other. It is a very self-sufficient system of governing.Įach area had its own rulers assigned to it. What are the pros and cons of feudalism? Is this a system that could still potentially work today, or has its time come and gone? Here are a few of the key points to consider. This creates a national allegiance and a regional allegiance that was very powerful for each individual. Each region had a noble ruler and these nobles would then pledge their allegiance to a king, queen or other ruling entity. Instead of having one large nation-state, a country would be divided into different ruling regions. Feudalism is a system of government that some look back upon quite fondly.
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