![]() ![]() The millennium in question constituted an elaborate and complex historical period. It is a mistake, however, to regard the Middle Ages as unrelievedly primitive or uniformly “dark,” as popular imagination has it. Surely there’s nothing there from which our own technologically soaring era might learn. What? Wasn’t the agonizingly long period from the terminal decline of the Roman Empire in the 4 th century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the very late 14 th century a period of near-constant warfare, chaotic invasions and migrations of entire peoples, collapsing population, cratering material wealth and economic output, illiteracy, superstition and near-zero medical knowledge? Surely there are no purported parallels that do not stretch credulity and break it in two. Here we go again? The fall of Rome marked the beginning of the Middle Ages and the advent of a rigid feudal society across Europe. Our own time reveals some striking and perilous parallels to the Middle Ages, despite our highly evolved technical and scientific society, the concept of individual autonomy, and the rights and freedoms presumably guaranteed by the Rule of Law. By studying how past events unfolded in full, we can gain insight into where the still-developing dramas of our own era might lead us. More about medieval government Crafts and Projects on the Middle Ages More about the Middle Ages Quatr.Meditating on the question of historical repetition in The Road to Serfdom, the great Austrian economic philosopher Friedrich Hayek wrote that, “One need not be a prophet to be aware of impending dangers.” Though historical events and epochs do not repeat precisely, whether as tragedy or farce, there are times when elements of past eras reappear in different forms, announcing their particular dangers or opportunities in ways that should be evident. So what is feudalism? Did you find out what you wanted to know about medieval feudalism? Let us know in the comments! Learn by doing: fight a tournament More about medieval armies More about medieval government Bibliography and further reading about feudalism in the Middle Ages: ![]() Other times, the king would fight a war to try to force the duke to do what he wanted. ![]() Sometimes the king was so weak he just had to let that happen. When the king told them what to do, they would just ignore him. The weakness of feudalismīut often the lords would decide that they were as rich as the king, and didn’t have to do what he said. When the king wanted to get an army together, he sent messengers to his dukes telling them to come with a lot of men, and the dukes sent messages to the counts, and the counts sent messages to each village telling men to come serve in the army. ![]() Medieval economy Armies in the Middle Ages So the feudal system was like a pyramid with the king on top, then a few dukes, then a lot of counts, and then a lot of farmers at the bottom. In exchange, the farmers had to swear fealty to the counts. These counts still held pretty large amounts of land, so they would divide their fiefs into farms, and give the farms out to their own followers. What is feudalism? Medieval peasants, from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (1400s AD) Feudalism is a pyramid ![]()
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