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Instructor: Cheryl Leonhardt

English 121 - 132

September 16, 2009

Feudalism vs. Manorialism

The early Middle Ages in western Europe were a time characterized by insecurity and

disorder. With Charlemagne’s empire disintegrating, no one single institution remained to

provide protection from invasions by barbarians and highwaymen. In the absence of law and

order, society found itself threatened. Russell Kirk once said, “Any good society is endowed

with order and justice and freedom. Of these….order has primacy” (Thompson, and Hicks p146).

Feudalism and manorialism emerged as institutions capable of restoring and maintaining order.

Feudalism is a “loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided

their landholdings among” vassals who received land they could use, called a fief, in exchange

for promised services and loyalty to their lord (Ellis, and Esler p186). This pledge of loyalty

established the feudal contract was a permanent and binding agreement. Ignoring the obligations

of the contract was considered an offense against the people who depended on an individual

doing as they promised. A vassal’s primary duty was military service which varied from forty

days to many months. Manorialism is a “relationship between landlords and the peasants who

worked the soil and raised the crops” (Stearns p438). Under the system of manorialism, the

lord’s personal land, called the demesne, was divided into smaller portions, called mansi, was

rented to individual peasant families, called serfs. Serfs were obligated by hereditary being

bound to the soil of a manor and remained there for their entire lives even if the ownership of the

manor changed. A serf’s primary duty was to provide services and paid fixed dues. They

cultivated the lord’s land for three or more days each week and repaired his bridges, fences, and
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roads. Both feudalism and manorialism began to restore order by providing structure to a

previously chaotic society.

During the early Middle Ages, warfare was a constant threat that required the sons of

many nobles to adopt a warrior’s way of life. As attacks by barbarians and highwaymen became

widespread, the medieval populace was forced to rely on protection from local lords. Under the

feudal contract, vassals were required to provide a specific number of knights for military

service. They formed the backbone of the early medieval military. The battle readiness of knights

was solely reliant upon the ability of the lord to equip his warriors with armor, weapons, and

horses. The chief contribution of the manorial system was an organized and productive labor

force. The serfs forged armor and weapons in the manor blacksmith shop and raised horses for

the knights. Manor lords held jousting contests that allowed knights to demonstrate their fighting

expertise and observe the chivalrous code of conduct. This code required “knights to be brave,

loyal…. and fight fairly” (Ellis, and Esler p189). The formation of a cohesive army provided

protection in the uncertain times of the early Middle Ages.

Lawlessness was rampant during the early Middle Ages since an effective centralized

government was non-existent. This meant the peasants had no one who could interpret local

customs guaranteeing that social values, like justice and freedom, would be preserved. In the

early Middle Ages, “law was seen as consisting of a community’s traditional customs” (Singman

p9). It was the responsibility of the regional feudal lord to exercise judicial authority and to

preserve the customs and traditional values of the local community. He fulfilled this

responsibility by consulting with subordinates on issues that required their counsel. Local manor

lords exercised judicial authority by presiding over local manor courts. Peasant tenants formed

the jury that resolved legal disputes in the manor court. Jury decisions were greatly influenced by
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custom, with the peasants often basing their decision on the current existing traditions. By

providing the peasants with an official court of law, disputes could be resolved in a timely and

fair manner.

Society in the early Middle Ages found itself in need of order, security, and a set of laws.

Feudalism provided the political and military system essential to facilitate justice and freedom.

The economic system of manorialism contributed an organized and productive labor force

necessary to sustain feudalism. Both institutions created the framework necessary to restore and

maintain order.
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Works Cited

Bailkey, Nels M., Lewis, Clyde J., and Wallbank, T. Walter. Civilization Past & Present:

9th Edition, New York, Addison Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 2000. Print.

Bunson, Matthew. Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. New York: Facts on File Inc., 1995.

Print.

Clark, Elizabeth A., Miltner, Robert F., Quinn, Jeanette, and Warren, Myrna J. World History,

Book 1: Foundation – Renaissance in the West. Westlake: The Center for Learning, 2005.

Print.

Craig, Albert M., Graham, William A., Kagan, Donald, Ozment, Steven, and Turner, Frank M.

The Heritage of World Civilizations: Combined 6th Edition, Upper Saddle River, Prentice

Hall, 2003. Print

Ellis, Elisabeth Gaynor, and Esler, Anthony. World History: Connections to Today, Glennview,

Prentice Hall, 2001. Print.

Singman, Jeffry L. Daily Life in Medieval Europe. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1999.

Print.

Stearns, Peter N. Encyclopedia of Social History. New York: Garland Publishers, 1994.

Print.

Thompson, George T., and Hicks, Laurel Elizabeth. World History and Cultures: In a

Christian Perspective. Pensacola: A Beka Book, 1995. Print.

By: Hope Grigsby