define feudalism?

Answer 1

Basically, it is a system of land ownership that involves one person (or family) being the possessor of a tract of land. Rather than employing people the way that we do now, the feudal Lord or Lady would have people working the land, providing them with small allowances (usually taken from whatever was being harvested on the land) and lodging.

In other words, it is not a capital system, but rather a labour-based system. Technically, the people working the land were under the protection of the Lord or Lady, but that protection was very limited and the workers were basically owned by the landowners. In fact, when land was traded or sold, the people associated with the land were typically part of the deal.

Answer 2

Feudalism is a term derived from the Germanic traditions. It is a lord/vassal relationship. The lords owned the land and provided protection for the vassals through Knights. In exchange the vassals would live on the land, take care of it, and provide an army to the vassals if necessary. It was based on the fundamental principles that they were equal parties, contractual relationship, and limited on time. The vassals could have more than one lord and the head lord was called the leige. When there were problems the vassals could go to the leige or scrutage would appear. Scrutage is when the vassals give money to the lords instead of following their wishes (i.e. forming an army). There was no shame in being a vassal however, the lords had more power since they provided the weapons. It is a system not based on laws but men.

Answer 3

Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century), in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval European political "system" comprised of a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs. Although derived from the Latin word feodum (fief), then in use, the term feudalism and a "system" it purports to describe was unknown to people living in the Medieval Period.

Defining feudalism requires qualifiers because there is no broadly accepted agreement of what it means. For one to begin to understand feudalism, a working definition is desirable and the definition described in this article is the most senior and classic definition still subscribed to by many historians.

Answer 4

A system of economic and social organisation. The King would (nominally) hold all the land. He granted large tracts to his nobles in exchange for services - usually the provision of a small army in times of need, although the homage could be paid in kind, sometimes nominal if the Lord had provided great service to the King, such as the giving of one red rose. This Lord - the tenant-in-chief - sub-let the land - called sub-infeudation - to lesser lords in return for services to him - sometimes the provision of soldiers for the army, sometimes food. This system could go down and down the line. The smallest unit was the manor one which lived those who worked on the land - the villeins or serfs. They had small amounts of land for their own use in exchange for which they were required to work on their Lord's land for a certain number of days a year. This system of tenure was called 'copyhold' and lasted in English land law until the 1920s. ownership was exchanged by notionally returning the land to the Lord at a Manorial Court, the excnage being recorded in the manor rolls.