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Feudalism
Feudalism is a social order that existed in Europe, particularly in the Middle Ages from the 6th century to the 18th century. Similar systems existed in Asia. For example, in China from the 11th century BC to the 1st century BC, in Japan from the 12th century to the 19th century, and in India from the 16th century to the 19th century.
In feudalism, the ruler of a country is the owner of most of the land. He grants the land as a loan to vassals. These vassals could be deserving individuals who had distinguished themselves in military conquests. These vassals received the land for their use and, in return, provided military support, administrative services or monetary payments. The vassals could further distribute the borrowed land to their own vassals.
At the lowest level of this hierarchy were the peasants, who worked the land. In return, they performed corvée labour, such as building roads, cultivating the feudal lord's fields or cutting wood for him. Military services or military support could also be provided. The payment of rent could also be a form of consideration.
The emergence of feudalism
In Europe, especially in Central Europe, after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 6th century, various leaders, mainly of Germanic tribes, began to establish their own kingdoms. In doing so, they took over areas from which Roman soldiers had withdrawn or conquered areas from other Germanic, Slavic or Celtic tribes. This led to numerous wars between the tribes. Warriors who were loyal and devoted to the ruler and successful in battle were rewarded with a piece of land, which was not given to them as a gift but lent to them. In return, they pledged military support to the ruler. Free farmers also pledged their loyalty and military support to the ruler because this brought them under the protection of the ruler of the region. In some cases, farmers also incurred debts if they had been attacked or suffered crop failures due to droughts and floods. If the farmers were unable to pay off their debts, the land could then be transferred to the ruler.
Over the centuries, the system evolved and a system of serfdom emerged. Serfs were bound to the land of the landlords and could not leave the land without their permission, had to provide services and pay taxes to the landlords, and in some cases were not even allowed to marry without their permission.
The system of commons also developed. These were areas and objects that belonged to the general public. They could be pastures, lakes, forests, wells or paths. They could be used by anyone under certain rules.
In China, it is disputed whether feudalism began during the Shang dynasty (17th century BC to 1046 BC) or only with the Zhou dynasty (1046 BC to 771 BC). However, a characteristic feature here was also an expansion of the kings' territories with a simultaneous weakness in controlling the area. As a result, the kings had secured control over the kingdom through decentralised support from princes in return for land.
In India, feudalism began with the emergence and expansion of the Mughal Empire after the fall of the Delhi Sultanate following the victory of Zahir ud-Din Muhammad, also known as Babur, over the Sultanate.
In Japan, feudalism began with the start of the Kamakura period in 1150. From this time onwards, the warrior nobility of the shoguns began to effectively take power from the emperor in Kyoto from their palace in Kamakura. They secured this power through a feudal system involving several samurai families.
End of feudalism
Dependence on the landlords repeatedly led to peasant uprisings and peasant wars. In addition, the growth of towns and the shift to skilled trades enabled people to free themselves from serfdom. The steady increase in trade also led to a decline in the influence of the feudal lords. In some regions, especially in the German states, the legal principle applied that anyone who remained undetected in a town for a year and a day was free from their feudal lord.
The feudal system also led to kings and emperors becoming dependent on their vassals, the dukes, princes and counts. In order to rid themselves of this dependence, many, especially absolute monarchs, abolished the system of feudalism and serfdom. States began to establish centralised systems and levy taxes directly on the king. Standing armies were established, thereby weakening the power of the vassals. As kings became less and less dependent on the military support and services of their vassals over time, they were able to abolish the feudal system at a certain point.
