The Feudal System

• Feudal system

  A system of rule by levels, with some people more powerful at the top and more people down below having less power
• William reorganized English society to favor the Norman nobility and increase their power
• Levels of medieval society under the feudal system

  • King William (at the top)
  • Tenants-in-chief/Barons
  • Sub-tenants/Knights
  • Peasants (Anglo-Saxons)
• William's reasons for creating the feudal system

  • He could not control the country on his own, so he needed help
  • He had promised rewards to those who supported his invasion, including those who fought at the Battle of Hastings
  • He needed to keep these supporters loyal to him
• How the feudal system worked

  1. William took all land into his ownership (domain)

  2. He granted land to loyal Norman nobles (tenants-in-chief/barons) in return for loyalty and service

  3. Tenants-in-chief/barons provided privileges to sub-tenants/knights in return for 40 days of military service per year

  4. Knights allowed peasants to live on and farm their land in return for rent, taxes, and labor service
• Feudal system

  • It was a system of control, with a few tens of thousands of Normans controlling millions of Anglo-Saxons
  • The king was in charge of all, and the rigid structure made it difficult to move through the levels
• Saxon landowners were deprived of their lands, and all land belonged to the king (his domain)
• Tenants-in-chief/barons held land in return for advice in keeping law and order and providing soldiers (knights)
• Knights held land in return for 40 days of military service per year, and they also protected (or controlled) the local people
• Peasants had to rent on and work on their lord's land in return for the protection of the law and the king