FEUDAL MONARCHY: ORIGIN AND CHARACTERISTICS - HISTORY - 2025

The feudal monarchy is a system of government used as the main policy of the countries located in Western Europe, during the Middle Ages. This system was distinguished by the imposition of hereditary monarchies and lasted from the 9th to the 15th century.

Power was centered on the social, cultural, legal and military customs that were part of the members of the nobility and the clergy. This system of government was characterized by using feudalism as its main tool, a system that governed the legal and military customs of Europe for two centuries.

Hegodis, from Wikimedia Commons

Feudalism has been used in different ways, so it has no established meaning; however, rulers who adopted and adapted feudal institutions to increase their power, defined their rule as a feudal monarchy.

origins

Feudalism was a system of customs, both legal and military, that characterized the governments of Europe during the Middle Ages; however, this process has been used in different ways, making it difficult to attribute a fixed meaning to feudalism.

It was a way of structuring society based on the relationships that arose from the possession of land in exchange for a service or a job.

Rise of the feudal monarchy

The rise of feudal monarchies came when the Carolingian Empire (a kingdom that dominated the Carolingian dynasty between the 8th and 9th centuries) redefined its political structure.

It is considered that the evolution of the feudal monarchy was not the same throughout the world, because some governments did not apply this political system in the same way: some did not allow the union between universal powers and the local population, for example.

Despite this, over the centuries during the Middle Ages, these systems of government increased their authority and resources. This happened thanks to the increase in the circulation of money as a payment mechanism, the increase in commercial activity, the growth of societies and the presence of the bourgeoisies.

The acceptance of Roman law, the evolution of technologies for battles and the advancement of the organization of society, were also factors that influenced the establishment of monarchies of this type.

Evolution

The crisis of the fourteenth century, which affected both Europe and a part of the Mediterranean, turned feudal monarchies into authoritarian monarchies. Later, during the Modern Age, this political system gave way to the formation of absolute monarchies.

characteristics

Power of the king and his relationship with society

The power of the kings who headed the feudal monarchies was used for the division of lands among their vassals. These lands were called "fiefdoms".

This condition made people practically independent. In addition, the power of the king was agreed and shared with the main religious authorities.

The importance of the vassals for the maintenance of this political system was of such magnitude, that the feudal kings managed to rule as long as the people remained faithful to their ideals; especially when going to the military call when requested by the king.

In this way, the vassal had the choice to fulfill his obligation according to the fidelity of a particular king. Despite this, the vassals did not have as much freedom as in later regimes; they could be subject to military or religious sanctions in case of not complying with the obligation of vassalage.

The kings did not have a direct relationship with the subjects, but the feudal nobility (secular or ecclesiastical) served as an intermediary. For this reason, the intermediaries had to confirm the king's decisions, which gave way to the emergence of institutions such as Parliaments, Cortes, Estates General, and Assemblies.

Role of the king during feudalism

Drawing of King George of England signing the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215

The kings who led power during the feudal systems of the Middle Ages were in charge of leading military campaigns, collecting taxes, and working as judges.

In addition, they were responsible for the division of land between the feudal lords, who divided it in the same way among nobles and hired peasants to work them. In order for the nobles to take a position on a plot of land, they had to pay the feudal lords a series of tributes.

At first, the vassals were peasants who were allowed to work on the land to have a place to live. This managed to build the largest social class that existed in feudalism and, in addition, the one that received the least payment for the work they did.

The nobles divided their lands among the vassals, so there came a point where these people began to acquire remarkable power, which was difficult for the kings to control.

The protection of the king

The importance of the king as the highest authority that headed power in feudal monarchies was of such magnitude that they required the presence of certain military personnel to protect it.

The people who performed such work were known as knights. The knights also had the responsibility of protecting the nobility that owned the lands that the king had given them.

Women in feudal society

During the Middle Ages, women did not have a prominent role in society; her work was limited to housework and family care. They also had a place in the field work and acquired certain skills to hunt animals, in order to feed their relatives.

Despite this, there were also women who were dedicated to working in the commercial sector or caring for others who were in labor. At that time, the stigmatization of intelligence was such that many women came to be accused of witches, a crime that they paid for with death.

The self-government system of feudal monarchies was maintained in Western Europe, approximately from the 9th to the 15th century.

References

1. Feudal monarchy, Wikipedia in Spanish, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
2. Feudalism, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
3. What Is a Feudal Monarchy ?, Portal Rference, (nd). Taken from reference.com
4. Feudal monarchy: characteristics and history, Portal Life Persona, (nd). Taken from com
5. Feudal Monarchies, Historiando Portal, (2018). Taken from historiando.org