Sociology Discussion Ramblings

Feudalism was a long running practice in England during the middle ages grown mostly out of the need for the peasantry's want to be protected. The King granted fiefs to Barons in return for fealty and the promise to raise armies as needed and to pay taxes as called upon. The Barons did not own the land, but were granted the land to use as seen fit, it could be passed by heredity, but if the King was displeased, could be reclaimed. Peasants were free peoples who could come and go as they pleased, but lacked protection against thieves and raiders, and the protection of the lord of the fief was often the only recourse a peasant had. The Baron would, in exchange for loyalty and service allowed the peasant a plot of land on which to build a home (a hut really) and a way to scratch out a meager living subsistence farming and being part of the lord's armies and guard. Of course the fief holders took advantage of their power and the general setup was more akin to slavery or indentured servitude which was called Serfdom.

Several events occurred which set the stage for the decline and eventual fall of Feudalism in England.

* The Black Plague: The Black Plague decimated two thirds of the population making the labor of the serfs a more scarce resource. In this the serfs found a new power which lead to a Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
* Due to The Crusades more trade began flowing into England which moved the economy to a money system as opposed to a land based system.
* A Centralized Government was formed around the Magna Carta which moved the power away from the lords of the fiefs and into the hands of Parliament.

Due to the Peasants' Revolt the laws involving land owners and tenants were forced to change. Further, it was becoming less profitable to farm small strips of land and to raise armies, instead larger plots were farmed and professional soldiers would war for money. The increase in trade made the cities grow larger and there was a demand for labor in the cities and ports. Due to these reasons, the peasantry, once tied to a lord and a plot of land were freed, in a manner of speaking, from the bondage of serfdom and found new economic freedom.