Feudalism: Divided Medieval Europe Through Different Social Classes

Feudalism is what divided Medieval Europe into many different social classes. These social classes determined what you can and cannot do, and it caused many complications within some of the classes. These classes were divided into five main groups, the kings and queens, the nobles, vassals and knights, craftsmen and merchants, and peasants and serfs. At the top of the feudal system are the kings and queens. They couldn’t control all the land by themselves, so they divided it among barons. The kings and queens were responsible for administering justice by handling disputes between the noblemen and officials. Not to mention, without the kings and queens the order in the society will crumble and fall apart. They also established strategies to defeat enemy invaders, and they developed technology and weapons. They also controlled all the land in the country, and chose who got to lease land for him. Below the kings and queens in the feudal system were the nobles. The nobles were given estates by the kings in exchange for their
A vassal was a noble who served a lord of a higher rank, and in return the lord granted the vassal land. A public ceremony would be thrown to show the tie between the vassal and the lord. The vassal would put his hands together in between their lord and swore “ to keep faith and loyalty to you against all others.” To show loyalty to his lord, the vassal served in his lord’s army, and in returned got land which was called a fief. Knights are vassals who wore armor and fought on horseback. They wore coats of mail armor which was made from metal links, and they carried swords and shields. In the A.D. 700s, a new innovation made it possible for a knight to sit on a horse and charge while holding a lance which was a long heavy spear. Knights would charge enemies, spearing them with their lances. Armored knights on horseback were the most powerful soldiers in