Feudalism

What was Feudalism?
Feudalism was based on the exchange of land for military service. King William the Conqueror used the concept of feudalism to reward his Norman supporters for their help in the conquest of England. Life lived under the Medieval Feudal System, or Feudalism, demanded that everyone owed allegiance to the King and their immediate superior.

Feudalism
Feudalism had a dramatic effect on England and Europe during the Middle Ages. The pyramid of power which was the Feudal system ran to a strict 'pecking' order - during the Medieval period of the Middle Ages everyone knew their place. The emergence of the Medieval Feudal System of the Middle Ages affected all spheres of Medieval society: a land-based economy, the judicial system and the rights of the feudal lords under the feudal system and the lack of rights for the serfs and peasants. The events which led to the decline of the feudal system. The most important and interesting aspects and facts about feudalism have been comprehensively detailed in the pages which can be accessed from this section.

Feudalism in England
This section provides basic information and facts about the cause and effects of feudalism in England. When was feudalism introduced in England? Who was responsible for introducing feudalism in England? What did the introduction of feudalism mean to the England and the indigenous population ( the Anglo Saxons)? The lives of everyone were effected by the feudal system: the vassals and their grant of a fief for their Oath of Fealty and their Commendation ceremony, the serfs, the villeins and the peasants who toiled on the lands. The system of farming under the feudal system and the opportunities for knights to make their fortune

Feudalism and Manorialism
Feudalism and Manorialism worked hand in hand in Medieval England. This section explains manorialism and describes the Medieval manors and the lives of the Lord and Lady of the Manor who lived in their manor house.