The states of Western Europe in the Middle Ages were not integral. Each represented several large feudal estates, which, in turn, were divided into smaller ones. For example, in Germany there were about two hundred small states. Most of them were too small, and they were jokingly said that the head of the sleeping ruler is on his land, and his extended legs are in the possession of his neighbor. It was an era of feudal fragmentation that captured the countries of Western Europe.
This topic will be of great interest not only to students for whom it is briefly described in the textbook “General History. Grade 6 ”, as well as adults, who may have forgotten schoolwork a bit.
Definition of the term
Feudalism is a political system that arose in the Middle Ages and operated on the territory of the then European states. Countries in this order of administration were divided into sections called feuds. These lands were distributed by monarch overlords for the long-term use of noble subjects - vassals. The owners, in whose control the territories fell, were obliged to pay tribute to the state treasury every year, as well as send a certain number of knights and other armed soldiers to the army of the ruler. And for this, the vassals, in turn, not only received all the rights to use the land, but also could control the labor and destinies of people who were considered their subjects.
The collapse of the empire
After the death of Charlemagne in 814, his successors failed to save the state he created from collapse. And all the prerequisites and causes of feudal fragmentation began to appear precisely from the very moment when the Frankish nobles, or rather, the counts, who were officials of the empire, began to seize the land. At the same time, they turned the free population living there, into their vassals and bonded peasants.
The feudal lords owned estates called senoria, which were actually closed farms. On their territories, all the necessary goods for life were produced, from foodstuffs to materials for building castles - well-fortified structures where the owners of these lands themselves lived. We can say that feudal fragmentation in Europe arose also thanks to such a subsistence economy, which contributes to the complete independence of the nobles.
Over time, the position of the count began to be inherited and assigned to the largest landowners. They ceased to obey the emperor, and turned medium and small feudal lords into their vassals.
Verdun Treaty
With the death of Charlemagne, quarrels begin in his family, which lead to real wars. At this time, the largest feudal lords begin to support them. But finally tired of the constant hostilities, in 843 the grandchildren of Charlemagne decided to meet in the city of Verdun, where they signed an agreement according to which the empire was divided into three parts.
In accordance with the agreement, one part of the land passed into the possession of Louis the German. He began to rule the territory located north of the Alps and east of the Rhine. This state is called East Frankish. They spoke German dialects here.
The second part was taken over by Karl, who was nicknamed Lysy. These were lands located west of the Rhone, Scheldt and Maas rivers. They began to be called the Kingdom of West Frank. They spoke languages that subsequently formed the basis of modern French.
The third part of the land, together with the title of emperor, went to the oldest of the brothers - Lothar. He owned territory along the Rhine River, as well as Italy. But soon the brothers quarreled, and a war broke out between them again. Louis and Charles teamed up against Lothar, robbed him of his land and divided it among themselves. At this time, the title of emperor practically did not mean anything.
It was after the separation of the former state of Charlemagne in Western Europe that the period of feudal fragmentation began. Subsequently, the possessions of the three brothers turned into countries that exist to this day - these are Italy, Germany and France.
Medieval European States
In addition to the empire of Charlemagne, there was another large European state. In 1066, the Duke of Normandy (a region located in the north of France), subjugating the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, united them and became king of England. His name was William the Conqueror.
Slavic states such as the Czech Republic, Poland, and Kievan Rus were already formed east of German lands. And on the Danube River, dominated by the nomads who came here, the Kingdom of Hungary eventually appeared. In addition, Sweden, Denmark and Norway arose in northern Europe. For a while, all of these states were united.
The collapse of medieval states
So what were the causes of feudal fragmentation here? The reason for the collapse of the empires of that time was not only the civil strife of the rulers. As you know, the lands that make up the state of Charlemagne were united by the force of arms. Therefore, the reasons for the feudal fragmentation lie also in the fact that there was an attempt to gather completely different peoples within the framework of one empire who did not want to live together. For example, the population of the West Frankish kingdom was called the French, the East Frankish - the Germans, and the peoples living in Italy - the Italians. It is interesting that the very first documents drawn up in the languages of the peoples living here appeared precisely during the struggle for power of the grandchildren of Emperor Charlemagne. So, Karl Lysy and Louis the German signed an agreement stating that they swear together to confront their older brother Lothar. These papers were compiled in French and German.
The power of the nobles
The reasons for the feudal fragmentation in Europe largely depended on the actions of the counts and dukes, who were a kind of governors in various parts of the country. But over time, when they began to feel almost unlimited power, the feudal lords ceased to obey the main ruler. Now they served only the owners of the lands on whose territory their estates were located. Moreover, they reported directly to the duke or count, and even then only during hostilities, when they marched at the head of their own army. When peace came, they were completely independent and ruled their lands and the people who inhabited them as they saw fit.
Feudal Stairs
In order to create their army, the dukes and counts gave part of their territories to smaller landowners. Thus, some became lords (chief), while others became their vassals (military servants). Entering the ownership of the feud, the vassal knelt before his lord and swore allegiance to him. In return, the master handed over to his subject a tree branch and a handful of earth.
The main feudal lord in the state was the king. He was considered the lord for the counts and dukes. Their possessions included hundreds of villages and a large number of military detachments. A step below stood the barons, who were vassals of the counts and dukes. They usually owned no more than three dozen villages and a detachment of warriors. The petty feudal knights obeyed the barons.
As a result of the hierarchy, the middle-class feudal lord was a lord for the petty, but at the same time he was a vassal for a larger nobleman. Therefore, a rather interesting situation developed. Those nobles who were not vassals of the king were not obliged to obey him and carry out his orders. There was even a special rule. It read: "The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal."
The relations between the estates resembled a staircase where small feudal lords were on the lower steps, and larger ones, headed by the king, were on the upper steps. It was this division that later became known as the feudal ladder. The peasants did not enter it, since all the lords and vassals lived at the expense of their labor.
Natural economy
The reasons for the feudal fragmentation of Western Europe consisted also in the fact that the inhabitants of not only certain regions, but also of the villages practically did not need any connections with other settlements. They could make all necessary things, foodstuffs and tools themselves or simply exchange them with neighbors. At that time, there was just the heyday of subsistence farming, when trade itself ceased to exist.
Military policy
The feudal fragmentation, the causes and consequences of which had a significant impact on the military power of the royal army itself, could not only strengthen it, but also increase the authority of the central government in the eyes of large landowners. The feudal lords by the tenth century managed to acquire their own squads. Therefore, the king’s personal army could not fully resist such vassals. In those days, the ruler of the state was only the conditional head of the entire hierarchical system of that time. In fact, the country was ruled by nobles - dukes, barons and princes.
The reasons for the collapse of European states
So, all the main causes of feudal fragmentation were identified in the process of studying the cultural and socio-economic development of Western Europe in the Middle Ages. Such a political system has led to a rise in terms of material well-being, as well as to flourishing in the spiritual direction. Historians have come to the conclusion that feudal fragmentation was a completely logical and objective process. But this applies only to European states.
Here are the causes of feudal fragmentation common to all states, without exception, summarized in two paragraphs:
● Availability of subsistence farming. On the one hand, it ensured a rather sharp rise in wealth and trade, as well as the rapid development of land tenure, and on the other, the complete absence of any specialization in certain regions and extremely limited economic ties with other lands.
● The sedentary lifestyle of the squad. In other words, the transformation of its members into feudal lords whose privilege was the right to own land. In addition, their power over the peasant estate was unlimited. They had the opportunity to judge people and punish them for various wrongdoings. This caused a slight weakening of the influence of central government policies on certain territories. Prerequisites also appeared for the successful solution of military tasks by the local population.
Feudal fragmentation of Russian lands
The processes taking place in Western Europe since the 10th century could not ignore the principality, where the Eastern Slavs lived. But it should be noted that the causes of feudal fragmentation in Russia were of a special nature. This can be explained by other socio-economic trends, as well as local customs of succession.
The division of the state into principalities was due to the great influence enjoyed by the local nobility, called the boyars. In addition, they owned huge land plots and supported the local princes. And instead of obeying the Kiev authorities, they agreed among themselves.
Heredity of Thrones
As in Europe, feudal fragmentation began with the fact that the numerous heirs of the rulers could not share power. Whereas in Western countries, the Salic Law of the Heritage of the Throne, which required the transfer of the throne from father to eldest son, was in effect, then on Russian lands, Ladder Law had effect. It provided for the transfer of power from an older brother to a younger brother, etc.
Numerous offspring of all the brothers grew up, and each of them wanted to rule. Over time, the situation became more confused, and applicants to the throne constantly and tirelessly weighed intrigues against each other.
The first serious contention was the military conflict between the heirs of Prince Svyatoslav, who died in 972. The winner was his son Vladimir, who later baptized Russia. The collapse of the state began after the reign of Prince Mstislav Vladimirovich, who died in 1132. After this, feudal fragmentation continued until the lands began to unite around Moscow.
The reasons for the fragmentation of Russian lands
The crushing process of Kievan Rus covers the period from the XII to the beginning of the XIV century. In this era, the princes waged long and bloody internecine wars for the expansion of land tenure.
Here are the most important causes of feudal fragmentation, briefly and clearly formulated in four paragraphs, valid only in Russia:
● Strengthening internecine struggle as a result of two trends that existed in the rules of succession to the Kiev throne. One of them is Byzantine law, which allows transferring power from father to eldest son, the second is Russian custom, according to which the eldest in the family should become the heir.
● A significant weakening of the role of Kiev as a central authority. This happened due to the Polovtsian raids that made the trip along the Dnieper dangerous, as a result of which the outflow of population from Kiev to the northwest began.
● A significant weakening of the threat from the Pechenegs and Varangians, as well as the defeat of the Khazar Kaganate and the establishment of relations with the rulers of the Byzantine Empire.
● Creation by Yaroslav the Wise of a specific system. After his death in 1054, a whole series of civil wars engulfed Russian lands. The old Russian integral state from a sole monarchy was transformed into a federal one, which was immediately led by several authoritative princes of Yaroslavichi.
We hope that this article helped to supplement the knowledge of not only schoolchildren who are now studying the topic “Causes of feudal fragmentation” in the textbook “General History. 6th grade". It will refresh the memory of university students events that occurred in the Middle Ages. Nevertheless, such a topic as feudal fragmentation, the causes and consequences of which we have described in sufficient detail, you will agree, is quite interesting.