The 9th and 10th century Viking, Muslim, and Magyar invasions broke the European monarchies. The kings became overwhelmed with attacks reigning in on Europe from all sides. Being spread too thin, their power and influence dwindled to irrelevance as the kings lacked defensive resources. In desperation, the people turned toward local nobles for protection. It was the only means of protection, and feudalism and manorialism rose as popular authoritative systems, giving birth to the knights, serfs, and lords in Medieval Europe.
Prominent citizens with wealth and power allowed the peasants to work as serfs. As a serf, they earned protection on their lord’s estate. In exchange, the lord received agricultural labor for free. Each serf received authority over a small portion of land on the lord’s property. They kept the harvested produce on their allotted land but were obligated to simultaneously work on the lord’s estate. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. In a world with constant pillaging, the citizens desperately needed protection. Their wealth was constantly stolen by the Vikings and Magyars. In some instances, the Vikings mandated a tribute payment. If the towns were incapable of meeting the ransom, they were sacked, burned, and looted. By contrast, the labor the lords demanded was very fair, and droves of people lined up to become serfs. The system where lords provided protection to serfs for labor is called manorialism.
With increasing numbers of serfs, the lords needed assistance governing and protecting their people. The duties compounded, and it was too much work. So, the lords implemented delegation through feudalism. Various military men were given large portions of property on the lord’s estate to govern. This land was called a fief. After swearing the military allegiance to their lord, they were proclaimed vassals/knights and received stewardship over the fief. It was advantageous for the vassals and the lords. The lords earned help in governing and collecting taxes, plus military assistance during an invasion. The knights, on the other hand, earned power, prestige, and wealth by becoming vassals for their lord. Many vassals acted as their lord’s cabinet of advisors. This advisory system later morphed into Parliament. Thus, the vassals increased in prominence and authority. If one struggled to maintain their fief, they could subdivide the fief and hire vassals underneath them. In this case, their vassals owed allegiance to them, and they owed allegiance to their lord, who likely swore allegiance to the king. Subinfeudation was when the vassals obtained more vassals under their leadership. It was a means of power decentralization and a delegation of duties.
In conclusion, manorialism was when lords provided their serfs with military protection from invaders in exchange for labor. Feudalism was when lords delegated authority to their vassals, giving them governorship over a fief. Through feudalism and manorialism, a power shift emerged. In many cases, powerful lords surpassed the kings in power. Through these two systems, the Medieval Ages were littered with power decentralization. Combined lords were more powerful than kings, and combined vassals were more powerful than lords. While the merits of feudalism and manorialism can be debated among modern academics, what is undeniable is the fact that it saved Europe from its invaders.
Asher Sisneros 