How did changes in military technology and warfare contribute to the collapse of the feudal system in Europe?…
Since the introduction of gunpowder into Europe, it has gone on to dominate warfare into the twentieth century. With the development of the first European guns in the fourteenth century, armies were given use of a weapon which was to radically alter most of the ways of making war which had been established during the Middle Ages, and changes began to be seen within only a few years. It is, however, questionable whether the nature of these early changes constituted a revolution in the methods of war, and even more so whether guns had by 1500 made a great deal of impact on the character of war as it had existed in 1300. In assessing whether a revolution had taken place (or at least whether one was in the process of happening) by 1500, it is necessary to examine three areas: the effectiveness of guns during the period; the extent of their use in conflicts; and finally the changes which resulted from the employment of the new weapons in war.…
For six centuries the medieval knight dominated the battlefield and influenced the Western world greatly. The armored, mounted warrior, born in Middle Ages, revolutionized warfare and became the foundation of the new political structure known as feudalism. The Church put the medieval knight to the ultimate test-the First Crusade of 1095. The Church, which Christianized almost all of the knights, gave them a very high status in society, one that was sought after even by kings and princes. In the end, the legendary knights of the Middle Ages were lost in a world in which there was gunpowder, muskets, cannons, national states and so on.…
The Renaissance is known as a period of advancements in trade and art and as a time where people of different backgrounds gathered together, clashing overall ways of life. One aspect that is often overlooked, however, is the effect the Renaissance had on the clashing of swords. Before the Renaissance, soldiers stood on opposites ends of each other and charged like barbarians with swords and sticks, or whatever they could scrounge together to fight. The Renaissance brought a change to the literal concept of how battles were fought. The movement away from barbaric types of warfare and towards more refined ways of fighting is demonstrated through several contributing three key facets. The factors that led to significant military advances for Europe during the Renaissance were the movement towards swifter, more durable ships that could defend themselves on the high seas and the creations that derived from gunpowder, and how it made the military weapons used before it obsolete. Ultimately, the most significant military advancement of the European Renaissance is how the Reformation created the…
Honig, Jan Willem. “Reappraising Late Medieval Strategy.” War in History 19 (2012): 123-151. Accessed September 26, 2013 on Academic One File.…
Feudalism was very popular in the Middle Ages. Feudalism was when land owning nobles became independent of kings and princes. The classes of feudalism defined the classes of the Middle Ages these classes include, lords, vassals, fiefs, manors, and serfs. The feudal obligations between a lord and his vassal were simple. The lord provided the vassal with land and protection and the vassal provided the lord with military service and ransom.(Doc. 4) For example “I, John of Toul. Make known that I am the liegeman of the count and countess of Champagne… I will aid the count.”(Doc. 2)…
In England William the Conqueror gave the name of feudalism to the system of government after he defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings. In the feudalism system there were kings, lords, knights and serfs and the hierarchy between them can be displayed as a pyramid, with the king at the top of the pyramid and the serfs of the country at the…
During William’s time of reign, he established the idea of feudalism. Feudalism was a property system and a military system. It was based on the religious concept of hierarchy, with…
As the feudal lords that mostly governed Europe during the Late Middle Ages weakened due to civil war, rebellion, and banditry, the New Monarchs seized the opportunity to solidify their power using such tactics as decreasing the power…
Medieval Europe or the Middle Ages, is a time period during c.500 AD to c. 1500 AD. There are many societal aspects that can be observed during this time period that served Medieval Europe's function and growth, two of which are crime and punishment and towns, cities and commerce. These two societal aspects contributed to the functioning of the feudal system, the power of rulers and prosperity of nations. Feudalism was introduced to England and Europe when William the Conqueror successfully invaded England in 1066 and enforced the idea that In order to be successful one must be loyal to the King. To many a historian this is where the strength of Europe, particularly England grew. Punishment and commerce are two important societal aspects that…
The War of the Roses was a tumultuous period of time during the late Middle Ages and there is no doubt that it was affected by the feudal system. The Middle Ages was a period of time from 5th century to the 15th century characterized by the technological advancements in warfare, the artistic developments of the time, and the societal organization of the feudal system. The feudal system dictated the political and social allegiances a vassal had to a lord or king. Vassals received an area of land in the lord’s estate and had to care for it, and if the vassal did very well, they would be given their own fief, or area of land. Most lords and knights were very obedient to the feudal system but when their power was abused to such an extent as during the War of the Roses, it exposed the fatal flaw of feudalism and was its demise.…
The Medieval Ages was a difficult time period for ancient Europe. The villages had trouble thriving due to lack of protection from conquering invaders. Europe was struggling to stay intact as many invaders took advantage of the poor armies and leaders. As a result, the government decided to go to feudalism where every individual was a serf, knight, noble or lord. This lead to the lords to get rich and greedy while the serfs struggled from lack of food, poor living conditions and disease striking the villages.…
The Middle Ages were once known as a time of darkness. It was plagued with sickness and violence. Many lives were lost during this period of corruption. A leading factor in the death toll would be war. War during that time was barbaric and bloody. They would fight in large quantities and would risk their lives for a certain cause whether that be for expansion or power for the king. In the Middle Ages, many battles have been fought by important people. They use certain equipment and are organised in a special way.…
The Hundred Years’ War was the final event leading to the end of feudalism. It was a fight over land between the English and the French, and for a time the English were winning, though the French eventually came through. To fight, they used more advanced military technology, making castles and knights less effective. And a greater sense of nationalism made lords less powerful, giving more power to the kings. An important historical event, and the final blow to the feudal structure, the Hundred Years’ War will be remembered for generations to come.…
The wars in the Middle Ages had very deadly battles and also very deadly weapons. There would be battle after battle the Middle Ages was a bad place to live in because there would be so many battles. While battles would be taking place innocent by standers would get caught in the battle that they did not even want to be in. In the Middle Ages childeren would start to learn how to fight at a young age so when the day comes that they would have to fight they would be trained and ready. The main thing about the Middle Ages is the battles and weapons used in those battles. In the battles there would be three main fighters who fought in battle, what kind of weapons those three fighters used in battles, and details about those weapons that they used.…