Feudal Hierarchy

How did the Feudal Hierarchy and its protection work?

Have you ever had an older or younger sibling who would try to bargain with you for stuff they yearned for with the other things you wanted? This concept is very similar to the Feudal Hierarchy and its protection. In each manor there were ranks and jobs that certain people had to follow in order to obtain what was necessary for survival at that time period. The people needed protection, while the landowners required defenses. In the Feudal Hierarchy there were 6 groups, Serfs, guildsman/craftsman, knights, vassals, lords, and monarchs. Serfs were poor farmers who worked the manor’s farmland in exchange for the safeguard they received. Guildsman were fundamentally similar to serfs because of their need of protection, however instead of farming they had a skill which produced a certain good for the manor. Knights and vassals were basically the same thing except vassals were successfully retired knights, and were given a manor from a lord or a king. Knights were specially trained soldiers who fight for a lord or vassal, and they were treated with the same respect as a lord. Vassals and knights both gave military services and loyalty in return for the land and protection they received. Lords were powerful noblemen and women that owned large tracts of land. However Lords on the other hand were very different from the other 4 jobs because what they needed was not protection but defenses to protect their land. The same situations applied to the monarchs of the country therefore in exchange for a lord’s loyalty and services to a monarch, lords were given land. Middle age feudalism was based on the interchange of service for land. Therefore vassals were give land because of their aid of conquest. Paying Homage and taking the oath of fealty were important parts of the manor’s protection because if there was no loyalty between a lord and a vassal, there could be the possible chance of a rebellion breaking out, and causing internal problems within a manor. If this happened it would be left vulnerable for attacks from other civilizations. Furthermore since everyone was raised as Christians there wouldn’t be anyone who would attempt to break the oath, which also meant a promise to god. An oath in the middle ages wasn’t just considered a promise but more of a sacred promise to god. In addition the lord would also have to pledge to always protect the vassal, meaning that the manor would be protected by the lord’s support. Paying homage would also strengthen that support given by the lord. All in all the oath of fealty, and paying homage benefited both social groups, and without them a manor would not be well protected.