2. Concept
The idea of feudalism is based on a scale of
power.
Feudalism is where the land is ruled by one
king or queen (monarch), who, in turn, allows
land lords to hold the land and oversee military
sections to keep the land secure from invaders
while the peasants and workers keep the
country economically strong.
The purpose of feudalism was to have
security. A strong government would able to
protect the land and people considering that
the people are willing to give up certain
individual rights.
3. Positions of power
Monarch- The highest position. Has all possible
authority over the kingdom.
Nobles/Lords- Hold land, dictate and protect their
section of land for the king.
Knights/Vassals- Elite soldiers who acted as police
and military to protect land under the jurisdiction of
their respective noble/lord.
Merchants/Farmers- Paid to provide goods and
oversee the production of those goods.
Peasants/Serfs- Working for the farmers and
merchants, this is the poorest class in the kingdom
4. Life of the monarch
The monarch is the supreme leader of
the kingdom and is generally
unquestioned.
The monarch gives orders to the
nobles, who, in turn, does certain things
for the king.
5. Nobles/Lords
The job of the noble is to hold land for the
king and take orders from him considering
the land jurisdiction of the noble.
Nobles are responsible for holding the
society is his area, intact.
Nobles are responsible for overseeing the
military.
Nobles are responsible for several
events, such as Knighting, marriages and
meetings with other nobles.
6. Knights/Vassals
The knights job is to maintain order in
the kingdom or protect it from invasions
Knights are often related to the nobles
and represent the code of chivalry.
Knights were also used for
entertainment purposes, like jousting.
The knight spends years of his early life
training to become a warrior.
7. Farmer/Merchant
The entrepreneur of feudal society, the
job of the merchant is to provide and sell
goods.
They work to oversee the production of
these goods and hold for business.
8. Peasants/Serfs
Peasants are the lowest class, having
no authority and work long hours for little
pay.
Peasants usually work on farms for the
merchant or have difficult jobs in
general.
9. Infrastructure
The kingdom was made of a
castle, manors and huts which were
inhabited by monarchs, nobles and
merchants, and peasants respectively.
The kingdom also had buildings or
arenas made for the amusement of
inhabitants.
Shops were set up by merchants.
10. Entertainment
During his time William Shakespeare
presented his well-received plays which
have since lived on in literature.
Jousting was a popular event where
knights got on horse backs and used
jousting rods to knock each other off.
The jester was an entertainer who would
perform many various acts to amuse his
audience
11. Fall of Feudalism
The idea of feudalism was based on the idea
that poor workers made up the economy.
When the Black Plague killed off 1/3 of the
workers. These low wage workers were now in
higher demand and in position to make
demands, causing a lack of benefits for the
merchants and ultimately the system itself.
Lords began to demand more power for
themselves and restrictions on the king. These
restrictions became parliament.
Continued development of the market
economy.
The invention of the gun.