Why was medieval life organized around feudalism and the manorial system?

Answer 1

Feudalism grew out of the collapse of the Roman Empire, due to decay of social institutions and the influx of barbarian tribes moving in to fill the power vacuum.

Without a strong central government, people were forced to rely on local leaders for defense and stability. The initial social contract was that these leaders would provide protection for the people, and in turn they would feed and support them. This worked because an individual farmer did not have the wealth to outfit himself with the necessary armor and weapons to defend himself against others with the latest technology, and he did not have the time to train to become proicient in these weapons.

Once the local leaders established themslves as the local authority in their area of control, they institutionalized the practice and made the the people they supported subservient to them. With the use of force monopolized by those who had the time and resources to adequately prepare for war, there were few alternatives for those who worked the land and eventually bacame peasants.

Eventually, these local strongmen allied themselves to regional leaders who could in turn protect them against stronger neighbors, and the structure of feudalism developed.

The manorial system also grew out of the need for protection in the absence of strong central authority. The local strongmen built forts, or manors, to protect themselves against other stronger neighbors, and these manors became the central administrative points for control of each area.

Answer 2

Two main reasons: Leadership & Safety. As most people were poor and uneducated, they could not be leaders. If they somehow did become leaders, they lost their followers quickly because they had no means of protecting themselves or their followers. A wealthy person owned the means of production so he was able to help others to survive. Also, he had a huge house. So, in times of danger everyone could cluster in there. Moreover, being educated, he knew more than others, and made the right decision more often than others. Since control of material goods passed down from father to son, some families remained rich and powerful for hundreds of years.

Answer 3

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