World History (The Middle Ages and the Feudal System )

The Middle Ages and the Feudal System

With the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 476, western Europe was thrown into chaos, Tribal chiefs and kings of small regions took control for small protection. Most of the population, except for royalty and clergy, was illiterate. It was a time when art and literature and architecture no longer flourished. This period was called the Dark Ages. 

During the Dark Ages in Europe, a social order known as the feudal system was instituted. This was a well-defined system of classes or levels within society. It was based on the belief that if everyone had a place in society, there would be less conflict. The feudal system had top-ranking novels: the king, the lords, the lesser lords. and the knights. The peasants and the townspeople made up 90 percent of the population. The lord was responsible to the king and managed the estate that the peasants worked in return for protection from invading enemies. To keep them from taking advantage of unarmed peasants, knights followed a code of honor called chivalry, which combined bravery 3nd Christian values.

In the early 13th century, battles for land were being fought in England. Invasions by the Vikings 3nd ongoing conflicts with the Roman Church kept England constantly fighting. The split that finally divided the church in England started with Henry II. When he and Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Learn more