The Main Features Of Feudal Society (Ints 105)

Introduction 

Feudalism was the dominant social and economic system in Medieval Europe (roughly between the 9th and 15th centuries). It was based on land ownership, military service, and mutual obligations among different social classes.

Some of its main features include:

1. The Manor

A vast land

A manor was a piece of land under the control of a feudal lord or noble. Land was the central element of feudal society, serving as the source of wealth and authority. Each lord managed his manor independently, exercising control over the land and the people who lived on it. The manor typically included the lord’s residence, farmland, pastures, and a village for the peasants or serfs.

      2. Serfs

Serfs Farming 

Serfs were unfree peasants who formed the majority of the population in feudal society. They were bound to the land, meaning they could not leave the manor or work elsewhere without the lord’s consent. Unlike slaves, serfs could not be bought or sold individually, but unlike free peasants, they did not own the land they cultivated. In return for working the lord’s land and providing other services, they were allowed to farm small plots for their own use and received protection from external attacks. Serfs formed the economic foundation of feudalism, supporting the upper classes through their labour.

       3. Agriculture

Agricultural Paraphernalia 

Agriculture was the main economic activity in the feudal system. Most production came from farming, though some small-scale handicrafts and local trade also existed within manors. The economy was largely self-sufficient, with each manor producing most of what its inhabitants needed for daily life.

       4. Lords and Vassals

Lord and vassals

The lords were members of the nobility, deriving power from land ownership. A higher-ranking noble (such as a king) could grant land (a fief) to a vassal, a subordinate noble in exchange for loyalty, military service, and counsel. This created a hierarchical structure of mutual obligations that tied nobles together through oaths of fealty. A lord could also grant parts of his land to lesser lords or knights under similar terms.

        5. Contraction and Crisis

From around 1300 to the late 14th century, Western Europe experienced a period of economic and demographic decline that weakened the feudal system.

Black death plague

• Population Decline: Repeated famines, wars, and especially the Black Death (1347–1351) greatly reduced the population.
• Economic Hardship: With fewer workers, agricultural output fell, leading to economic stagnation.
• Abandoned Land: Many previously cultivated lands, especially marginal ones, were abandoned and became overgrown.
• Climate Change: The onset of the Little Ice Age brought colder and wetter conditions, worsening food shortages.
• Peasant Revolts: Rising hardship and exploitation sparked peasant uprisings, such as the English Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.

These crises signaled the gradual decline of feudalism and set the stage for the growth of towns, trade, and new social classes in the later Middle Ages.

Conclusion

Feudal society was built on land, loyalty, and service, binding different social classes into a rigid hierarchy. However, as population decline, economic hardship, and social unrest spread in the 14th century, the system began to crumble. Its collapse paved the way for modern economic and political developments, including the rise of capitalism and centralized monarchies in Europe.

References 

Ints 105 note dictated by Dr. Edgar

Wikipedia contributors