Characteristics of feudal society in Western Europe

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The core of the feudal system in Western Europe is the feudal system; on the basis of the feudal system, the feudal aristocratic hierarchy (divided into duke, earl, viscount, baron, etc.) and the feudal knight system were formed.

The reasons for the formation of the feudal system in Western Europe:

Its foundation comes from three aspects: ① the heritage of ancient Greece and Rome, ② the Christian tradition, and ③ the Germanic social model. In other words, the feudal system in Western Europe was formed by the continuous combination of Roman feudal elements, Germanic elements, and the Christian Church.

1. Roman feudal factors

With the cessation of the Roman Empire's external expansion, the empire's economy had experienced a serious crisis in the third century AD: the population dropped sharply, cities declined, and some large lands The owners retreated to the countryside and established a farm system with slave farmers as the main producers and a decentralized tenancy system, forming a natural economy and an independent kingdom politically. In this way, in the third century AD, the Roman Empire's slave-based commodity economy had transitioned to a slave-agrarian natural economy. In addition, there has been a protective relationship in Rome for a long time. Some people sought the protection of wealthy patrons due to their decline and became civilians or vassals under their protection. After the decline of the empire, this protective relationship expanded and became what would become Western Europe in the future. One of the origins of feudal system.

2. The Christian Church

In line with the changes in the economy, people’s ideologies have also changed. The original Roman classical culture began to give way to the popular culture of ordinary people. It is Christian culture. In times of crisis, more and more people are switching from worshiping the Olympian gods: Jupiter, Zeus, and Apollo to Christianity, which can free them from personal sins and achieve personal salvation. Because although the former is majestic and gives people strength, it cannot give people comfort; people are great, but they cannot always show their greatness. People still need comfort, especially in times of crisis, people need a mystical philosophy. system. In the Roman Empire of the third century AD, this was Neoplatonism. After various twists and turns, Rome finally became a Christian country after the fourth century, and church organizations were generally established. Influenced by the Roman system, church laws, systems, and organizational structures were established. It was the Christian Church that played a stabilizing role in maintaining order in the deepening chaos, and became the bearer of civilizing the Germanic barbarians in the future and combining Roman classical culture with Germanic culture.

In addition, the monastic system established by the church also had a significant impact on Western European society in the early Middle Ages. The monks were generally the best farmers in Western Europe at first. They reclaimed wasteland, drained swamps, improved the soil, and promoted the three-field system, which played an important role in the restoration and development of Western European agriculture. They also preserved some of the architectural skills of the Romans and developed woodcarving, metal manufacturing, textiles, glass, winemaking and other crafts.

3. Germanic factors

The Germanic people had just emerged from primitive society and brought vitality and vitality to the desperate Western European society.

Compared with Roman law, Germanic law was customary law, which was rough, superstitious, and adopted divine judgment. However, it still had a significant influence on the feudal politics of Western Europe in the future. Germanic law originated from ancient human customs, not the will of the ruler, so law transcended royal power, and no king could be absolutely autocratic. This system of limited royal power was a feature of the political development of Western Europe in the Middle Ages. So some people say that democracy originated in the German jungle.

The Germanic janissary system established the concept of a contractual relationship between leaders and janissaries, which directly promoted the formation of the feudal system in Western Europe.

The Germans also brought the rural commune system (one of its characteristics is autonomy), which had a significant impact on the formation of Western European cities, the guild system, and even the parliamentary system.

The Germanic factors had such a great impact on Western European society that the author of the General History of the World believed that it was the arrival of the Germanic people that destroyed the classical civilization of Western Europe, thus clearing the way for the beginning of a new civilization in Western Europe. . In China and India, the civilizational traditions of the past have not been interrupted and have been preserved, but this is only a continuation of the old life. In the West, after the fall of the Roman Empire, a new beginning appeared. He also believes that this is the uniqueness of Western history.

On the issue of the formation of the feudal system in Western Europe, Western historians are mainly divided into two schools, the Germanic school and the Roman school, and later the comprehensive school was formed.