Feudalism was the dominant social, political, and economic system in medieval Europe, defining how power and land were distributed from kings to commoners. Based on loyalty, military service, and land tenure, feudalism created a rigid hierarchy where monarchs granted fiefs to nobles in exchange for allegiance, and nobles relied on knights and peasants to maintain their estates. This interdependent structure helped maintain order after the fall of the Roman Empire and shaped European society for centuries. Understanding feudalism reveals how authority, protection, and wealth were tightly interwoven in the medieval world.
The classic definition which was penned by François-Louis Ganshof a very knowledgeable Belgian medievalist who studied the subject at the Athénée Royal was that ‘feudalism describes a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs’.
Under this legal and social system vassals were usually given land by a Lord on the condition that the Vassal would pledge allegiance to the Lord when needed. This is why medieval Knights and such were granted land so that a Lord could quickly raise an army as and when required.
Key Terms
Vassal
A holder of land by feudal tenure on conditions of homage and allegiance (Usually a Knight)
Fief
An estate of land, especially one held on condition of feudal service ‘a fee’. In a broader sense, the idea of Feudalism was centered around the relationship of someone providing land in return for labor or service, but this was common with a connection to ‘military services’ in the middle ages.
Feudalism the Word
Feudalism (Fief) comes from the Latin word Fuodum or Feudum.
Feudalism interpretation by Marc Bloch (1939),
Includes not only the obligations of the warrior nobility but also those of all three estates of the realm: the nobility, the clergy, and the peasantry bound by manorialism – this is sometimes referred to as a “feudal society”.
Important Books on Feudalism
Two excellent books on the subject of Feudalism, also question whether Feudalism is a useful concept in understanding medieval society.
Elizabeth A. R. Brown’s “The Tyranny of a Construct” (1974)
Susan Reynolds’s Fiefs and Vassals (1994)
