Great states and great empires are often built on a strong central system. Local powers are formed when the central system is not strong or the territory is very large. Feudalism, which is a structure similar to the timar system in the Ottoman Empire, has been applied as a certain social structure in Europe for many years, unlike the one in our lands.
In the feudal system, there is a monarch. This ruler gives a certain land to a person whom he has declared noble. This nobleman both trains soldiers and becomes responsible for the people working on that land. Unlike the Ottoman fief system, feudalism is not only an economic but also a social structure. Even today, it is possible to see the traces of this system in Europe. Let’s examine what feudalism is, how it emerged, what are its features, in all details.
What is feudalism, how did it come about, what are its features?
First of all, what is feudalism?
Feudalism, also known as feudalism, feudalism; It is an economic, political and social structure that was widely applied in Europe, especially between the 10th and 13th years, that is, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin words feudalis meaning wage and the Latin feodum meaning fief. Even though it is called the system seen in medieval Europe, we can actually see examples of it in many parts of the world.
For example, the timar sipahi system applied in the Ottoman Empire is economically similar to feudalism. However, as in Europe, lands do not remain in a family forever and do not form a noble class. The feudal system was also seen in the Zhou period of China and the Edo period of Japan. However, the people living in that period did not call this system feudalism.
The people who introduced the concept of feudalism are historians. Because, during historical studies, special concepts are used to distinguish certain structures from others. Therefore, the definition of feudalism is also somewhat complicated. It is thought that it started in the First Age, became widespread in the Middle Ages, and its collapse dates back to the Industrial Revolution. If we consider that there are still nobility titles in Europe, even if it has disappeared economically, it is possible to say that the social structure created by feudalism continues.
How did feudalism arise?
The Western Roman Empire, which was the dominant power in Europe, collapsed in 476, but its weakening began much earlier. The loss of power of a state governed by a centralized structure like Rome meant that the regions outside the center were doomed to hunger and misery. Because the center held not only political power but also economic power.
When the center began to lose power in Rome, which was an economic structure based on slave labor, the landowners partially freed some of these slaves and allowed them to work on their lands instead of feeding slaves. Thus, the semi-free slaves became much more productive to feed themselves. Later, the invention of the plow and stirrup made even the driest soils fertile.
As these lands, which were already under constant invasion, became fertile, local landowners began to obtain enough products to raise soldiers. Thus the landlords became small powers with both soldiers and workers. This is how the first seeds of the feudal system were sown.
These self-made powers were supported rather than overthrown by centralized monarchs. Okay, my land is yours, but I was told to raise soldiers and join me in wars. Landowners who got on well with the rulers received titles of nobility and their lands were theirs as long as they met certain conditions. This system continued until the Industrial Revolution, when the agricultural society collapsed.
Political features of feudalism:
It is possible to evaluate the features of the feudal system through two different structures, political and economic. We can think of the political structure of feudalism as a pyramid. At the top is the ruler of the country. Nobles under him. Slightly less nobles below the nobility. Below them are the soldiers, and at the bottom of the soldiers are the peasants. These peasants, called serfs, form the most populated area of the pyramid.
The ruler at the top of the feudal system pyramid is not as powerful as we think. Because the fertile lands that form the basis of the economy are in the hands of the nobles. The country does not have a regular army, as these feudal owners also train soldiers. Since the establishment of such an army was extremely expensive, the monarch gave this task to the feudal lords.
As this is the case, there were even periods when the monarch was only symbolically sitting on the throne. After all, it is in the hands of soldiers and landlords. When the ruler says let’s go to war, if those who hold the military power say no, no one will stand up and join the war. When we look at it from this point of view, we can easily say that there is no place for central power in the political structure of feudalism.
Economic features of feudalism:
When we look at the economic features of the feudal system, we encounter an extremely closed economic system. When the Roman Empire weakened and central trade was disrupted, small landowners and peasants developed a self-sufficient economic system. In the process of successive Germanic invasions, this self-sufficiency has matured.
The peasants, the main productive force of the feudal system, produce and take a small part for themselves and give the rest to the landlord. It is out of question to talk about a commercial system in a feudal structure. Because whatever is produced, the people consume it. Considering that the villager could not even get the tip of his nose out due to the Germanic invasions, even with neighboring lands, trade from time to time came to a halt.
The fall of feudalism:
The well-functioning feudal system actually prepared for its collapse. Because the trade, which became insecure due to the invasions, became active again with the feudal lords providing security. Increasing trade means that closed economies are losing power.
The Crusades also indirectly led to events that undermined feudalism. With the Crusades, both new spoils were obtained and trade began between Islamic states and Europe. The central power, that is, the ruler, which became stronger by taking taxes over this trade, no longer needed the political or economic power of feudalism.
Of course, if something happens in the history of the world, will not the Turks have an influence? The feudal lords, who stood behind their strong and indestructible castles as an invincible power for hundreds of years, realized that they were no longer invincible because of our cannons, which shattered even the strongest walls during the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, and began to lose power.
It was money that actually ended feudalism. Trade was done with money, and the products the landlords bought from the peasants made no sense unless they were converted into money. Feudalism disappeared with the abolition of serfdom, that is, semi-free slavery dependent on landlords. What remained of this system, which lasted for hundreds of years, were titles of nobility that do not make much sense today.
We talked about the details you need to know about this system by answering questions such as what is feudalism, the basic social structure of Europe for hundreds of years, how it emerged, how it collapsed and what are its features. You can share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.
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