European Feudalism

Feudalism, or a feudal state, "is one in which members of the ruling class form a feudal hierarchy with a chief lord our suzerain at its peak"(Painter 4). Feudalism flourished in Europe from the 9th century to about the 15th century. This time was a perfect setting for feudalism. In other terms it is "ant social system in which great land owners or hereditary overlords extract revenue from the land

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With the black plague setting the since for feudalism and he suffering that Europe went through to get to the positive factors of feudalism, individualism arose. This is where manors and lords began to become popular and set the immediate scene for feudalism. It first was noticed around the port cities and then spread through out the country. Also, small manors benefited less from feudalism where as larger manor benefited greatly.

However, feudalism did have positive economic factors. Feudalism shaped a system that made loyal subjects and trust-worthy landowners. With this in thought, large manors and small manors had tension between each.

Socially, feudalism had positive and negative factors as well. With more people in the country, the cities lost commence and monetary value from people not spending enough money as well as lost social values.

"There was also a distinction between those who farmed their own lands and those whose land belonged to their lord. "Accordingly the feudal system, defined as the social and political domination of a military and a land owning aristocracy, became an indispensable in the evolution of modern Europe" (Lipson 19). With this now a factor, the rich were still rich and the poor were still poor, however the rich spent money while the poor worked for the rich. It was a fatal disease and after contraction death shortly followed. Due to feudalism and its ways, prices were barely affordable and an increase in population would only "result in higher food prices"(Lachman 47). The tenant-farmers were slipping into the half-free class which lay between the full cerols and the slaves"(Barlow 12).

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Approximate Word count = 1479
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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