During the Middle Ages, Europe was divided into many kingdoms. As most kings had little control over their kingdoms, feudalism developed as a system of for governance in which a divided his land among the noble class in exchange loyalty and military services. The nobles, including princes, dukes, barons, and counts, became independent rulers, or lords, of their own regional lands. Lords were also known as vassals because they promised to serve the king in return for feudal states. frequently gave parts of his land as a fee, or fief, other members of the aristocracy.The aristocracy in to and the turn became vassals to their lord, guaranteeing military support for the state kingdom. short Life in feudal Europe was characterized by war, disease, famine, low birth rates, and life expectancies. Thick forests or swamps prevented much of the land from being farmed.
The rest of Europe was poor, underdeveloped, and sparsely populated. Daily life for Europeans during the feudal era depended on the social group to which they were born. They remained in the same social groups throughout their lives. The lords and vassals made up one group and they governed large fiefs and fought for the king. The clergy comprised another group, who served the church an establish which culturally bound Europe together through common practices such as baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Finally, level of the socio-economic ladder were the peasants who supported themselves and their lords by working on the fiefs.
The life of a lord centered around fighting. Lords summoned vassals living on their lands who were also knights. The knights wore heavy armor, rode huge fought with heavy spears called lances, and followed of chivalry. In times of peace, jousting tournaments or staged combats between two armed knights with lances, provided entertainment for lords and vassals. The nobility also entertained themselves with gatherings at the lord's manor or castle. During these gatherings, the lord and his knights feasted, drank, gambled, and played dice, checkers, and ohess. The lord's wife, called a lady, ruled the household servants and yet had few rights. As neither lords nor their ladies considered education important, few could read or write.
The lifestyles were different for the clergy, depending on their wealth and status. Most high-ranking clergymen, such as bishops, were of noble birth. They devoted their lives to the church, yet they remained rulers of large fiefs and lived with the same wealth and power of military lords. Monks lived within the monasteries and devoted their time to religious scholarship. They were also members of the clergy, and their days were filled with studying, praying, and participating in church services. Many peasants joined the clergy as village priests, who typically resided in small cottages near their churches, where they offered advice, helped settle disputes, and performed religi ceremonies. However, becoming a member of the clergy was not necessarily a passport to wealth, as most priests lived the poverty- stricken life of the peasants whom they served.
Peasant families lived in crude huts furnished with straw-filled bags. A typical peasant diet included black bread, porridge, eggs, poultry, and whatever vegetables their fields produced. Since any game on the manor belonged to the lord, peasants were prohibited from hunting or fishing. In addition to farming their own fields, peasants worked the farms of their lords and provided such services as cutting wood, grinding grain, repairing roads and bridges, pressing wine, and baking bread for the lord's family. They also had to pay taxes for their lands; but since money was scarce, many payments came in the form of grains or poultry from the peasants' lands.
By the thirteenth century, feudalism had begun its decline. As the European economy grew, paid soldiers replaced feudal knights; and as cities grew wealthier and more densely populated, the importance of the aristocracy lessened. The rise of an educated class paved the way for trained political leaders who eliminated the necessity of the vassals. Finally, centralized governments emerged, which resulted in the ending of the system that had sustained the kingdoms of Europe for seven hundred years.