![]() ![]() The royal authorities came under this category. But still they were not allowed to take decisions of their own but do possessed their families unlike serfs. Peasants were free men who had taken lands form nobles and were restricted to provide some endowments to their respective lords in return for the favor. They possessed no power or right, not even their families. This was the cruelest and harshest outcome of the feudal system in Russia. A lord could beat a serf to death and serf was not even allowed to protect himself against the lord. Their lord possessed them like a property or an animal. The people who were not free and were slaves to their lords were considered serfs. This simply can be explained as enslavement. The Russian feudal hierarchy is discussed as below in terms of increase in power and rights: Russian Feudal Hierarchy The Serfdom Everything that they possessed belonged to their lords. They were traded like animals and possessed no ownership, not even over their families. Peasants and serfs were given no rights and they were not even allowed to appeal against the non-justice. In comparison with the European feudal system, it took a much longer time period for the feudal system to flourish properly in the Russia but when it did it took over much adverse, harsher and acerbic form than any other feudal system existing in the world. This was a way of William demonstrating his power over England and trying to secure his land.The system worked out as a land – lord – peasant system and slowly demolished repetitions of earlier failures of any king due to lack of power and influence to make a powerful force against any invader. In 1087, fearing possible revolts against him, William gathered his tenants-in-chief together at Old Sarum and made them take an oath of loyalty to him. The feudal system allowed William to control land in England. Barons or Lords who were given land directly from the king were known as tenants-in-chief. The feudal system meant that everyone in England, apart from the king, was a tenant. This was shown in the Peasants' Revolt in 1381. ![]() Peasants had very few rights and little power on their own, however as a collective group they had the potential to threaten the power of the king. Some peasants were freemen and they had more rights than villeins. Most peasants were villeins and they were at the bottom of the system. Peasants were the largest and lowest group in medieval society, making up over 90% of the population. The nobility became wealthy from rent raised from peasants they let farm on the land. Noblemen would also let peasants live and work on the land, in return for taxes and food. They would distribute some of their land to knights, who would raise an army to fight for the king when needed. This included the clergy, barons, and lords and ladies. The nobility were below the king in the hierarchy. To manage this, he gave large areas of land to noblemen, including the clergy, lords and barons, in return for them raising him money and an army. When he conquered England, King William took all of the land in the country. The king was at the top of society, and therefore at the top of the feudal system. The Domesday Book was produced to give William this information. He also wanted to raise money to fund an army to protect his land in case of invasion, meaning he had to find out who he could tax. This wasn’t as immediate as the other problems. To raise taxes and run the country effectively, William needed to know who owned land and how much money they had. Knowing little about England and its people ![]() Motte-and-bailey castles were built all over the country to protect his supporters.Ĥ. William needed to quickly find a way to protect his supporters and soldiers in England. His division of land ownership, the feudal system, solved this.ģ. If large landowners opposed him then they could raise money and possibly an army to rebel against him. William needed to make sure that the people who owned land were supportive of his rule. The Harrying of the North dealt with the northern opposition. Rebellions in the North could threaten his rule and needed to be dealt with. There was support in the north of England for Edgar the Atheling to become king. All four problems were important for different reasons ![]()
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