Feudalism in the Manorial System - Essay Example

Feudalism and the Manorial System Between the 9th and the 15th century, scholars believe that there was flourishing of legal and military traditions that came to be referred to as Feudalism. Being an ancient term, it has drawn several definitions with some individual referring to it as a way of ordering the society. According to Spielvogel, the term feudalism refers to a system where the king or the ruler gave land to people who pledge loyalty to him in exchange to their military service (357). Feudalism existed because in the medieval Europe, there was no centralized government in place. Manorial system was social and economic system in medieval Europe. The system regulated peasant land tenure and production, administered taxation and local justice. There is a close relationship between the manorial system and feudalism. In both cases, regulation of land tenure featured as a major factor that influenced production of the nation. The difference of the systems is the political and military aspect. In medieval Europe, feudalism and manorial system defined the structure of governance. In the feudal system, the king leased land to his immediate juniors in the monarchial hierarchy. The king gave them vast stretches of land. The people receiving land from the king were vassals. They managed the land under their control. The system was a form of exchange of services. In return, the king gained loyalty and war troops from the vassals. The vassals had a responsibility of working as knights. This included serving in castles and undertaking training for forty days. When the king waged war, the vassals were to fight for the king with all loyalty. Other returns to the king from the vassals were financial support and hosting of the king’s entourage during tours. When feudalism arose in Europe, it involved the exchange of weapons and other items. When Europe entered the agrarian period, then land was included in the feudal system. The barons further divided their land and leased it under the same conditions. Feudalism involving land formed the manorial system. Landowners hired peasants to work in the farms. The peasants earned a source of living from this. Other peasants practiced different forms of art on the small plots of land and paid taxes in return to the landowner. The manorial system led to the formation of a noble class. Landowners formed the noble class while peasants were commoners. The difference in social status explains how each of the groups lived. The rich landowners treated the peasants as slaves. The life of the peasants depended on the landowners. In the hierarchy, the landowners had a responsibility of providing the king with war troops. The taxation and local justice system depended on each baron. Some of the barons overtaxed the peasants working on the fiefs (Spielvogel 358). Feudalism and the manorial system were distinct systems. However, sometimes barons gained land ownership through feudal grants. The highest order, the king leased land to the barons. Marriage and inheritance are the other pathways through which barons received land. The manorial system served to sustain the medieval Europe economically. Manors had the potential to produce enough for consumption and the surplus directed to the market. The medieval European society consisted of manorial villages. There was exchange of goods between the villages. Contribution of the Christian Faith in Renaissance Though perceived differently, the Renaissance in a general sense may be looked upon as the achievement of present spirit in opposition the spirit and faith that existed during the middle age. In the progression of western civilization, there was a period defined by disease, death, and waging war. During this period, there were little advances made in technology. People were less interested in literary works. However, the era that followed was different. People had a lot of interest in literary works, philosophy, and understanding of nature. The power of man’s creativity became evident. There was an outburst of literature and scientific breakthroughs. Scholars and philosophers expressed themselves in different publications. The ancient Greek and roman literature resurrected into society. There was a growing appreciation of innovation of different forms among the people. Feudalism died down on the rise of renaissance (D’Andrea 7). An economy driven by money was on the rise and trade systems were changing. Peasants broke free from the service on the farms adopting new forms of livelihood. Christianity played a great role in bringing about renaissance (D’Andrea 38). The papacy of the Catholic Church had settled in Italy. This factor contributed greatly to Italy spearheading the renaissance. Christianity formed a bridge between two different eras; the era of ancient culture and the rebirth of humanity. Rome was the papal city. The pope in power controlled the state of the roman city. During the middle age, people concentrated on religion. Religious teachings defined the lifestyle of people. During the rebirth, Rome was leading in adopting different forms of art. Literary works of the time relied greatly on the bible teachings. During renaissance, people developed the belief of the chain of beings and its hierarchy. The highest order in this hierarchy was God. This belief originated from the Christian faith. Many philosophical writers of the renaissance era repeatedly brought out the superiority of God in their writing. The code of humanity that the people developed centered on the Christian teaching on equality. However, the Catholic Church did not agree with all the principles of the humanist principles. The scholars believed that coupling humanism with the Christian faith was a more impressive form of worship. All the scholars in the renaissance era practiced the catholic faith. They asserted that God instilled the power of creativity in man. It is clear that the Christian faith at that time contributed greatly to the content of the intellectual power emerging. The papacy rule contributed greatly to the success of the roman city and neighboring cities. However, in the progression of renaissance, the popes involved themselves in corruption and politics. This factor led to the development of other governments. The establishment of constitutions in the governments relied greatly on the teachings of the catholic faith and the natural law defined by the scholars. The contribution of the Christian faith in the renaissance is evident all over Europe (D’Andrea 43). Reformation and Renewal in the Church As a movement in history, the reformation began in 1517 breaking up the institutional church unity that existed in Western Europe. During the medieval Europe and the early renaissance era, Europe experienced religious unity. The entire Europe consisted of Catholics. In the subsequent years, the corruption in the church increased and this led to a strong rebellion. There were many issues surrounding the rebellion. The Catholic Church monks and priests did not practice what they preached. They did not respect the celibacy standards. They involved themselves in politics and they allowed the greed for money to take control of them. Some of the leaders in the parishes held positions with the sole intention of making profits and true faith lacked (Whiting 8). Some beliefs of the church at that time did not sound realistic. These events led people like Martin Luther to raise a rebellion. Luther was a catholic monk who decided to air his concerns about the hypocrisy in the Catholic Church. Luther reasoned that faith was more important in earning someone salvation and not good deeds (Whiting 41). Luther’s opposition led to his excommunication from the church. Luther publicized his concerns. The public bought Luther’s ideas as he expressed them in the ninety-five theses. This earned him followers like Calvin. Calvin modified Luther’s theses and defined Calvinism. This formed the origin of Protestants. Peasant farmers in Germany supported the protest against the catholic faith. Luther and Calvin did not intend to fragment the roman church. Their intentions targeted to reform some aspects in the roman church. However, the roman church did not compromise on any of its practices. They maintained their position and beliefs. This is what led to the formation of a new church of the Protestants. Luther believed that the Roman Catholic had distorted the gospel. Luther sought to address the bottom cause of the issue regarding the church. Some doctrines the Catholic Church held with so much respect were unrealistic. Other reformists arose in different part of Europe (Whiting 77). Each reformist had his or her different views on the doctrines in place. This led to a disintegration of the religious faith that once existed in Europe. Indulgence of the Roman Catholic in politics, moral corruption, lack of Christian modesty and love for money remained the key issues that led to the disintegration. Despite the efforts to reunite the church, there was no turning back and a new church resulted. Protestants practiced a more free worship. Their religious doctrines differed from those of the Roman Catholic. The key aspect Protestants emphasized was faith in the grace of God that led to redemption. Many churches resulted from the disintegration. When reformists did not agree on the doctrines of their faith, they split further. After the disintegration, the Roman Catholic Church underwent reforms within itself. The renewal and reformation of the church in the 16th century formed the opening of the many churches that formed in the subsequent years. Work Cited Spielvogel, Jackson. Western Civilization, Volume 2: A Brief History: Since 1500.Boston: Cengage Learning. 2007. Print. D’Andrea, M. David. Civic Christianity in renaissance Italy: the Hospital of Treviso, 1400-1530. New York: University Rochester Press, 2007. Whiting, Robert. The Reformation of the English Parish Church. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Read More