Jim Hlavac
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We pretty much all view feudalism in a romantic sense, of
chivalry, and fair maidens and white knights, and of course the knight
errant. The period is looked on in the popular eye as a period of
castles and fancy clothes. It is also called the Dark Ages, which has a
different connotation, but is so long in the past that it is hard to say
exactly what was going on. The Dark Ages might be defined as the
centuries between about 400 AD, with the final fall of Rome, to about
900 AD, with the first true settling of national distinctions in Europe.
And Feudalism as that period from 900 AD to about 1400, when the
first stirrings of the Renaissance where highlighted. There can,
though, be no clear delineation of the time periods. This is because
feudalism is a system -- which may have predominated in one certain
portion of European history. But as a system has existed forever.
Feudalism is nothing but another name for the Divine Right of
Kings. Indeed, at least in the European sense, it saw the cementing of
the creation of the Catholic Nation-state. No matter how big the
kingdom or small the principality or minuscule the barony the holder
of the title wasn't legal or real until he was given permission by the
Pope. All the internecine wars, and dynasties and conquests, all are
mere details in the overriding belief in the Divine Right of the said
ruler to rule, by the grace of God and in His name.
Now we say that Feudalism is a European thing, but no. It was no
different than what Mogul rulers of India were doing. That the
emperor in Delhi, or the Khan in Mongolia, or the emperor in Beijing,
the reality was that there were hundreds of lesser royalty who
controlled their own little piece of land. And none of the lesser royals
could claim legitimacy without the blessing of the big guy. Whether
he was the Mogul Khan, Chinese Emperor or the Catholic Pope -- the
underlying idea is identical -- they were blessed by God to rule the
people and dispense the lesser royalty with the imprimatur of God.
Some, like the Catholics, were more God oriented in their
explanations than say the Chinese Emperor, but a belief in the
centrality of a Greater Power which gave the right to rule to the
holder of the power is the principle.
We could say then that feudalism still exists -- look at North Korea
or Cuba -- fiefdoms of petty princes who's only claim to difference is
the words they use to describe themselves. A communist Secretary of
the Party is merely the Duke of his Duchy. The system they use to rule
is identical.
That the technology of the feudal era as defined currently was
primitive led to a greater degree of freedom in every day life than
modern technology actually allows. But the desire of the ruler was the
same -- to have everyone work for his definition of what was good,
and he got the biggest portion of what was available to be had.
To call the architecture and technology and culture of these
centuries in Europe the feudal era is a great separation of certain
styles of human endeavor, but the underlying principle is the same
from era to era -- it is merely the divine right of kings to rule his
subjects.
chivalry, and fair maidens and white knights, and of course the knight
errant. The period is looked on in the popular eye as a period of
castles and fancy clothes. It is also called the Dark Ages, which has a
different connotation, but is so long in the past that it is hard to say
exactly what was going on. The Dark Ages might be defined as the
centuries between about 400 AD, with the final fall of Rome, to about
900 AD, with the first true settling of national distinctions in Europe.
And Feudalism as that period from 900 AD to about 1400, when the
first stirrings of the Renaissance where highlighted. There can,
though, be no clear delineation of the time periods. This is because
feudalism is a system -- which may have predominated in one certain
portion of European history. But as a system has existed forever.
Feudalism is nothing but another name for the Divine Right of
Kings. Indeed, at least in the European sense, it saw the cementing of
the creation of the Catholic Nation-state. No matter how big the
kingdom or small the principality or minuscule the barony the holder
of the title wasn't legal or real until he was given permission by the
Pope. All the internecine wars, and dynasties and conquests, all are
mere details in the overriding belief in the Divine Right of the said
ruler to rule, by the grace of God and in His name.
Now we say that Feudalism is a European thing, but no. It was no
different than what Mogul rulers of India were doing. That the
emperor in Delhi, or the Khan in Mongolia, or the emperor in Beijing,
the reality was that there were hundreds of lesser royalty who
controlled their own little piece of land. And none of the lesser royals
could claim legitimacy without the blessing of the big guy. Whether
he was the Mogul Khan, Chinese Emperor or the Catholic Pope -- the
underlying idea is identical -- they were blessed by God to rule the
people and dispense the lesser royalty with the imprimatur of God.
Some, like the Catholics, were more God oriented in their
explanations than say the Chinese Emperor, but a belief in the
centrality of a Greater Power which gave the right to rule to the
holder of the power is the principle.
We could say then that feudalism still exists -- look at North Korea
or Cuba -- fiefdoms of petty princes who's only claim to difference is
the words they use to describe themselves. A communist Secretary of
the Party is merely the Duke of his Duchy. The system they use to rule
is identical.
That the technology of the feudal era as defined currently was
primitive led to a greater degree of freedom in every day life than
modern technology actually allows. But the desire of the ruler was the
same -- to have everyone work for his definition of what was good,
and he got the biggest portion of what was available to be had.
To call the architecture and technology and culture of these
centuries in Europe the feudal era is a great separation of certain
styles of human endeavor, but the underlying principle is the same
from era to era -- it is merely the divine right of kings to rule his
subjects.