Why was feudalism used?

Answer 1

Feudalism means different things to different people, and its origins depend on its meaning.

Narrowly defined, feudalism is a system in which a weak central government distributes its power to people who support it. Typically, a monarch gives land and responsibilities to great lords in exchange for military support, and the great lords distribute their power to lesser lords. The strength of such a system is that the problems that develop on a local level can be dealt with faster than they could be if the central government had to mobilize to deal with them.

The origins of this sort of feudalism are in France and the Holy Roman Empire of the 9th century, and they were contemporaneous with the beginnings of Viking raids. The system was used in England by the Normans, but rather quickly fell out of use because the political situation stabilized, the central government strengthened, and the system was no longer needed.

More broadly defined, the system of feudalism is more or less the same as the system of manorialism. Manorialism is a system in which landlords own manors, which are the homes of peasants who work the land. The peasants are not free to leave, but have a right to be on the land that cannot be alienated without just cause. They supply work, food, or rent to the lord, and the lord gives them a place to live, fields to farm, and protection. This system was based on the old Roman system of villas with coloni, who were farmers very like the serfs on manors. This system was based on Roman laws dating to the early 4th century.

Regardless of how the term feudalism is used, it relates to a situation in which powerful people provide land and protection to less powerful people who have duties in return. These systems are closely related, but not the same, and this produces confusion that is causing the term feudalism to be less used. It may fall out of use.

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Answer 2

Feudalism arose in Western Europe as a reaction to the invading tribal peoples of the North. The Lords of the feudal system were also the warrior class and in exchange for protection against the raiders they expected the allegiance of the lords. Serfs were the lower class people attached to the land of the feudal lord.

Answer 3

because people didn't have any land so they went to the nearest land owner and asked if they can live off his land he would say yes but you must give him half your food monthly and that was simple

Answer 4

It was a way to make people of the time know where they stood as to rank. The Kings had power over the Lords, the Lords over the Knights and vassals, and those over the peasants. It was also a very efficient way at the time to keep the government in check, even though the present feudalistic nation have all failed to do so.

Answer 5

Depends what you mean by ‘needed’. It benefited the feudal lords, but not the serfs.

Answer 6

people joining together in response to common problems.

Answer 7

It was invented in the middle ages which were from 500-1500 bc

Answer 8

because people were poor and did have money, but they did have land and other more valuable items to give... such as service. when people wanted land, they gacve service to get it

Answer 9

a contract in which land was granted to the peasants in exchange for military service to the nobles

Answer 10

The feudal system first appears in definite form in the Frankish lands in the 9th and 10th cent