MEDEVIAL EUROPE ESSAY

The medieval European social system evolved gradually over centuries. Following the fall of the
Roman Empire in the West during the 5th century CE, no dominant government existed to rule and
safeguard individuals. This led to a situation where local lords and landowners began asserting
control over smaller areas. In order to stay safe in an unsafe and unpredictable world, individuals
began to turn to these local lords for protection. In exchange, they had to work or serve them. This
exchange system was referred to as feudalism. Under this system, kings granted land to strong nobles
and knights. These knights and nobles, in exchange, agreed to fight for the king or assist him in other
means. Next below them were commoners, the majority of whom were poor farmers. Such farmers
were referred to as serfs if they were bound to the land. They were not allowed to leave the land or
switch occupation. Each had a place in society determined by birth. There was hardly any possibility
of altering your position or getting richer or more influential.

It has been observed by some historians that similar systems operated in other regions of the world.
For instance, in Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Greece, there existed a type of feudalism in which the
emperor granted land to nobles or soldiers in exchange for service, particularly military. This type,
sometimes referred to as Greek feudalism, differed from that found in Western Europe since the
Byzantine Empire retained a robust government as well as an organized Church. But there was the
concept of land for loyalty in both. This is a sign that feudal systems were not only present in
Western Europe but had copies elsewhere as well.

Feudalism in rural areas coexisted with another system, manorialism. This was the method of
farming and land ownership. A big area of land, a manor, belonged to a lord. At this manor, there
were fields, woods, and sometimes even mills and churches. Poor farmers resided at the manor and
worked the land. In exchange, the lord provided them with a small portion of land where they could
produce their own food. The serfs were also required to labor on the land belonging to the lord and
provide him with a share of what they harvested. They had hardly any rights and were not able to
leave the manor. While this system was unjust, it provided some protection for the farmers because
the lord would protect them from war, robbers, or famine. Farming slowly became slightly better
with new farm tools such as the heavy plough and farming techniques such as the three-field system.
These developments multiplied food production and assisted in the population growth.

Religion was a central part of medieval European life. The Catholic Church was as much a political
and economic institution as it was a religious one. It instructed people that society was divided into
three classes: the ones who prayed (the clergy), the ones who fought (the nobles), and the ones who
worked (the peasants). The Church instructed that this order was instituted by God, and therefore,
individuals must not attempt to alter it. The Church possessed a significant amount of land and
received taxes, referred to as tithes, from all. Leaders in the Church such as bishops and abbots
frequently belonged to noble families and wielded enormous power. The Church also dominated
individuals' personal lives by establishing rules on marriage, inheritance, and behavior. If a person
disobeyed the Church, they could be harshly punished. Most people were afraid of ending up in hell
and thus followed the Church blindly. The Pope, the leader of the Church, even quarreled with kings
over who was more powerful. This indicates the extent of the influence that the Church had over
society.

Meanwhile, some societies in other parts of the world were built differently. For instance, in the
Islamic world, particularly under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, cities continued to be big and
well-planned. There were large markets, libraries, and schools. In contrast with Europe, where life
was largely rural, Islamic communities had flourishing urban life and busy trade routes. The Islamic
system of land and military service, referred to as the iqta system, also included granting land or tax
rights to soldiers or officials, a little like European feudalism. But in Islamic countries, trade, learning,
and knowledge were more developed. Baghdad, Cairo, and Córdoba were educational and cultural
centers. Islamic civilizations affected Europe in terms of trade and cultural interaction, particularly in
Spain and Sicily, where Jews, Christians, and Muslims coexisted. The Islamic world adapted ideas in
science, medicine, and farming that were adopted by Europeans, which later contributed to the
growth and development of Europe.

In Europe, from the year 1000 CE onwards, there were a few significant developments. Agriculture
became better, and invasions diminished. As a result of this, human beings began to settle in towns
again, and trade expanded. Craftsmen and merchants in towns created a new class known as the
middle class or bourgeoisie. They did not possess enormous tracts of land like the nobles, but they
earned their living through business and craftsmanship. In towns, individuals had more opportunities
to better themselves than in the countryside. Most towns were granted charters permitting them to
self-govern. Individuals in towns created guilds in order to safeguard their professions and ensure
goods were produced properly. This gave more people greater freedom, and it gradually undermined
the feudal system. As more and more people used money rather than paying in crops or services, the
economy began to alter.

But this was not always the case. In the 14th century, Europe suffered a series of issues. The worst of
these was the Black Death, a horrific plague that killed approximately one-third of the population.
With so many dead, there were not enough workers. The peasants who survived understood they
could demand greater pay or improved conditions. Not many of the lords agreed, and this
precipitated the peasant rebellions in locations such as England and France. Although the rebellions
were typically defeated, they demonstrated that the traditional order was deteriorating. With time, a
majority of peasants were no longer bound to the earth and began earning wages. The fall of
serfdom started in most areas, particularly in Western Europe. Feudalism started to collapse as
increasing numbers of people migrated to cities, employed money, and engaged in various types of
employment.

The status of women in medieval society tended to be low. Women had to obey their fathers or
husbands. Noblewomen occasionally controlled lands when their husbands went off to war, but they
were still not powerful. Peasant women had to work long hours in the fields and at home but were
not usually valued or appreciated for their work. Women were also said to be weaker and more
sinful by the Church because of the Bible's story of Eve. Women became nuns and eventually
abbesses, holding some power and freedom from convents, but for the majority of women life was
still hard and subject to the will of men.

Slowly, all these alterations started to change medieval society. Kings started to acquire more power
and formed stronger governments. Trade and towns grew on. The Church also encountered
numerous challenges, such as internal splits and criticism from thinkers who demanded reform.
These changes did not occur suddenly, and they did not touch all locations in the same manner. But
they demonstrated that the old social hierarchy was beginning to crumble. By the late 15th century,
Europe was heading for a new age. How people lived, worked, and thought was transforming. The
Renaissance, Reformation, and eventually modern advances were founded on these developments.

In summary, medieval European society was defined by feudalism, manorialism, the Church, and the
agrarian economy. It was a world of poor farmers who had little liberty. But gradually, with the
expansion of towns, the power of trade, and the transmission of learning from the Islamic world, this
arrangement started to break down. Although feudalism also had its counterparts in Greek-Byzantine
and Islamic arrangements, every area came to have its own distinct form. The revolutions in
medieval Europe lasted for centuries, but they set the stage for the world today.

APOORVA

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