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Feudalism was a ruling mechanism introduced into the Britain by the Normans when they invaded in 1066. It was a system of paying service to a higher authority to provide labour in all forms and formed the basis for land holding across the country until is ended around 1300 in its recognisable, pure Norman form.

The basic premise of the feudal system was that the king owned all the land in the kingdom. His barons simply held it of him, a gift that was viewed as hereditary but this was not always set in stone and a payment was given to the king for those lands to pass to an heir, but could, at the whim of the king, be given to someone else. The barons were required to pay homage to the king to recognise his authority over them, and they owed service to the king in return for the land, for instance, twenty knights for twenty days in service with the king, often specified in later reigns whether they were to fight at home, e.g against the Welsh or local unrest, or abroad, in crusades and France.

The barons had vassels below him who similarly owned service in order to keep hold of those lands which could also mean soldiers for the baron to then hand over to the king for service, or workers on the baron's land who would work for the baron for a set number of days per year.

None of this prevented taxes being paid, but this was managed by the king through his barons and through the baron through to his vassels and their underlings. It was a huge pyramid and allowed the king a strong hold on the land as, ultimately, everything belonged to the king and everyone else was essentially borrowing it from him in return for a payment of service.

Feudalism was also practiced in France which caused problems for the English kings who had lands in France, ie Henry II, Richard I and John, as they were required to pay homage to the French king for those lands and owed service and thereby appearing subservient to him despite being kings in their own right themselves. They, of course, hated this. Their lack of homage and service caused the French king Philippe Auguste, to fight to take them back and the English kings fought to keep them, and by conquest could claim them free from service. This didn't happen and in the time of King John the vast bulk were lost by 1204.

Feudalism gradually came to end once the king required more money to fight wars abroad, crusades and wars in France to regain what was lost. Feudalism is absolute monarchy, but once the king's barons were asked to provide money over and above their feudal requirements and such taxes began to have to be agreed by the first parliaments, the king lost this absolute rule and feudalism died. Once the king has to request from his barons anything rather than demand, his rule is no longer feudal.

The loss of territories abroad also brought about a change in the feudal system earlier than the first parliaments, as those with lands solely in England wanted more stability as they had held the lands for several generations and wanted them to pass entire to their heirs without question and this formed part of Magna Carta of 1215, which came some 11 years after the loss of Normandy, the part of the French holdings that concerned the English barony the most.

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Q: Which was a charteristics of feudilism?
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