Impacts of Feudalism in Medieval Europe....

IMPACTS OF FEUDALISM

1.Rise of the Bourgeoisie Class: Peasants Revolt - Peasants realized their worth and demanded changes. Charters were granted but ignored by nobles. Peasants moved away from the country into towns they were eventually allowed to buy their freedom. Land was rented and the rights of lords over labour decreased.

2.Cultural Interaction The culture of feudalism, which centered on noble knights and castles, declined in this period. The spread of new military technologies such as the longbow and cannon made the armored knight and fortified castle less important. The disaster of the plague influenced culture, causing some to celebrate life in the face of mass death. Others had the opposite reaction and fixated on death and the afterlife, which was reflected in art.

3.Political Structures In England the signing of Magna Carta and other political reforms laid the foundations for more democratic forms of government. The Hundred Years’ War between France and England shifted power away from feudal lords to both the monarchy and the common people. It also increased feelings of nationalism, as people began to identify more with the king than with their local lord.

4.Economic Structures The feudal system of agriculture and land ownership declined in this period. The plague caused trade and commerce to slow. Due to the death of one third of the population of Europe from the plague, labor shortages occurred. This created greater economic opportunities for peasants, and they demanded increased wages.

5.Social Structures The hierarchical social structure of feudalism was destabilized as a result of the plague, which affected all social classes equally. When the plague passed and feudal lords attempted to reestablish their authority, peasant rebellions occurred as commoners refused to accept the old social order. The common people also gained greater power as a result of the Hundred Years’ War.

6.Human-Environment Interaction The bubonic plague spread over trade routes from Asia to Western Europe and killed one third of the population of Europe. Its spread was aided by the fact that most people lived in unhygienic conditions at this time, especially in the cities. In the wake of the plague many peasants left their manors for greater opportunities in the cities.

7.Rise of Strong monarchies and Rise of independent states: When the Renaissance began in the mid-fourteenth century in Italy, Europe was divided into hundreds of independent states, each with its own laws and customs. The result was absolute chaos, as leaders of states vied for more power and larger territories. Monarchs (kings and queen with supreme rule) in France, England, and Spain responded to the chaotic situation in Europe by consolidating their power. A centralized government was established. Nobles became weaker - the Kings took back their lands and power.

8.The Crusades and the decline of the power of Papacy: At the same time religious reformers, first in Germany and then in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, were leading a movement against the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Their efforts were inspired by the humanist ideals of questioning authority and valuing the worth of the individual

9.Rise of Capitalism: Feudalism began to decline in the eleventh century with the rise of capitalism, an economy based on investing money and earning profits from business ventures.

10. Rise of Nationalism: Nationalism emerges during the first part of the Hundred Years' War, France and England did not have identities as separate countries. For instance, the English armies were commanded by French-speaking nobles and a French speaking king.

11.Growth of Towns: The Crusades and travel during the middle Ages opened new trade options to England. More trade saw the growth of more towns

12. Pestilences: The Black Death - this reduced the population of England by one third. Labour became a valuable commodity.