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[[Category:feudalism]]
[[Category:feudalism]]
'''Feudal Europe, European feudalism or "feudalism"'''
== '''European feudalism overview''' ==
* largely from the 9th to 15th centuries
** not a uniform system across place and time
** for example, feudalism arose in England after the Norman invasion of 1066, but it existed in France since the AD 800s
* generally a system of shared power between and among a hierarchy of authorities
** as in, knights, lords, vassals
** can be thought of as "chains" of allegiances and duties and obligations
== Etymology & vocabulary of feudalism ==
=== Etymology ===
* the noun "feudalism" is a modern invention (18th century)
** Adam Smith discusses the "feudal system" in his "Wealth of Nations"
* during the "feudal" period, people did not refer to themselves as living under feudalism
** the word "feudal" may have been used, but as an adjective not a noun
* "feudalism" is unrelated to the word, "feud"
** "feud" is from Old English, "gefea" or "gefa" which means "enemy" or "foe"
** however, "feud" is easy for students to remember "feudalism" in terms of a system of allies and enemies
* most directly derived from the Latin ''feodum'' for "fief"
* Proto-Indo-European word origin = "'''''peku'''''" for cattle
** Latin "pecus",
** Old German, "fehu", Old English "feoh"
*** these languages shifted "P" to "F", as in the Latin "pater" > to English "father"
** see [[Indo-European word origins]]
* the Roman term "beneficium" (for a grant of land or rights; see "Origins" section below)
** starting in AD 984, Medieval writers began to use Latin "feudum" instead of "beneficium" in reference to grants
* in the Medieval system, property could be used as a form of exchange instead of money or gold
** thus the ancient word for cattle, "''pecu''", which became in Frankish, "''fehu''", was used with "''od''" which meant "goods"
** ''fehu-od''" = an exchange or payment with property instead of money
*** cattle, horses, clothing, arms, etc.
*** which became "feos"
* so "feudalism" is derived from the exchange of goods and services
=== Vocabulary ===
* the primary words of feudalism are "fief," "lord" and "vassal"
** '''fief''' = land or rights granted to a "vassal" by an overlord (higher rank), generally heritable (passed on by hereditary birth)
** '''lord''' = a person holding authority over certain people and places
*** in England, the word "lord" became the title "Lord" (as in the House of Lords in Parliament)
* '''vassal''' = a person who owes allegiance, duty, taxes, and homage (an oath of submission and/or a public respect) to another person of higher rank
** vassals were generally knights, who acquired their own fiefs with peasants to work the land for them
** "vassal" comes from Celtic for "young boy" or "servant"
*** the Romans adopted the word from Celtic and called it ''vassal'', which became ''valet'' in French
* related terms
** '''chivalry'''
*** from cheval
** '''knight'''
== Origins ==
* Ancient Rome
** in exchange for some service, the Romans would grant a ''beneficium'', which was a property, title or privilege
*** the words "benefit" and "beneficial" a derived from ''beneficium''
** a ''precaria'' was a temporary land grant that had few obligations
*** for example, to give someone land that needed to be cleared for farming
*** ownership of the ''precaria'' would revert to the landlord upon death of the tenant
*** since the obligations were loose, the ''precaria'' was not a secure grant, thus the word "precarious", which means "uncertain" or "dangerous"
*** '''''tenant''''' = someone who lives on land owned by someone else
* Frankish kingdoms of France
*


==Summary Questions==
==Summary Questions==

Revision as of 15:44, 12 November 2021

Feudal Europe, European feudalism or "feudalism"

European feudalism overview[edit | edit source]

  • largely from the 9th to 15th centuries
    • not a uniform system across place and time
    • for example, feudalism arose in England after the Norman invasion of 1066, but it existed in France since the AD 800s
  • generally a system of shared power between and among a hierarchy of authorities
    • as in, knights, lords, vassals
    • can be thought of as "chains" of allegiances and duties and obligations

Etymology & vocabulary of feudalism[edit | edit source]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

  • the noun "feudalism" is a modern invention (18th century)
    • Adam Smith discusses the "feudal system" in his "Wealth of Nations"
  • during the "feudal" period, people did not refer to themselves as living under feudalism
    • the word "feudal" may have been used, but as an adjective not a noun
  • "feudalism" is unrelated to the word, "feud"
    • "feud" is from Old English, "gefea" or "gefa" which means "enemy" or "foe"
    • however, "feud" is easy for students to remember "feudalism" in terms of a system of allies and enemies
  • most directly derived from the Latin feodum for "fief"
  • Proto-Indo-European word origin = "peku" for cattle
    • Latin "pecus",
    • Old German, "fehu", Old English "feoh"
      • these languages shifted "P" to "F", as in the Latin "pater" > to English "father"
    • see Indo-European word origins
  • the Roman term "beneficium" (for a grant of land or rights; see "Origins" section below)
    • starting in AD 984, Medieval writers began to use Latin "feudum" instead of "beneficium" in reference to grants
  • in the Medieval system, property could be used as a form of exchange instead of money or gold
    • thus the ancient word for cattle, "pecu", which became in Frankish, "fehu", was used with "od" which meant "goods"
    • fehu-od" = an exchange or payment with property instead of money
      • cattle, horses, clothing, arms, etc.
      • which became "feos"
  • so "feudalism" is derived from the exchange of goods and services

Vocabulary[edit | edit source]

  • the primary words of feudalism are "fief," "lord" and "vassal"
    • fief = land or rights granted to a "vassal" by an overlord (higher rank), generally heritable (passed on by hereditary birth)
    • lord = a person holding authority over certain people and places
      • in England, the word "lord" became the title "Lord" (as in the House of Lords in Parliament)
  • vassal = a person who owes allegiance, duty, taxes, and homage (an oath of submission and/or a public respect) to another person of higher rank
    • vassals were generally knights, who acquired their own fiefs with peasants to work the land for them
    • "vassal" comes from Celtic for "young boy" or "servant"
      • the Romans adopted the word from Celtic and called it vassal, which became valet in French
  • related terms
    • chivalry
      • from cheval
    • knight

Origins[edit | edit source]

  • Ancient Rome
    • in exchange for some service, the Romans would grant a beneficium, which was a property, title or privilege
      • the words "benefit" and "beneficial" a derived from beneficium
    • a precaria was a temporary land grant that had few obligations
      • for example, to give someone land that needed to be cleared for farming
      • ownership of the precaria would revert to the landlord upon death of the tenant
      • since the obligations were loose, the precaria was not a secure grant, thus the word "precarious", which means "uncertain" or "dangerous"
      • tenant = someone who lives on land owned by someone else
  • Frankish kingdoms of France

Summary Questions[edit | edit source]

  • How was feudalism a response to social, economic, and political collapse?
  • How does the "manor system" relate to feudalism?
  • Why was there no major plague under feudalism?
  • How is it that feudalism is orderly but does not bring unity?
  • How did the feudal system bring order to medieval Europe?
  • How did Europe come out of feudalism and develop trade?
  • What is the lasting impact of feudalism on modern Europe?