No sin was worse than that of the usurer, no activity more repugnant to the Lord. The objection to the presence of commerce and banking in early medieval times was spearheaded by the clergy, who thundered against the sinful nature of their calling. Although medieval society increasingly came to rely upon the merchant's services in distributing and obtaining items not produced locally, he was nonetheless considered a parasite and a sinner, barely tolerated for his questionable contribution to society's output. His pursuit of gain was considered against the laws of God, because he was not a producer of real goods, but rather a resaler, or a usurer. The merchant, as a class, was discriminated against for not contributing to these essential duties, but rather for aiming to get rich himself. Each of these groups had a role to play, either defense of the realm, maintenance of the soul of society, or the growing of essential foodstuffs. The old, feudal model of society was dominated by the concept that there were three divinely ordained orders: knights, clergy, and peasants. Boccaccio reflects these changes in several of his novellas, as he portrays merchants as victims of the times, and also as heroes on the forefront of social change. All of this, combined with the Church's criticism of commerce and usury, created a multi-layered complex of attitudes towards those who made their living by buying and selling goods or dealing with money. The merchant himself changed in his attitude towards his work, in his duties and abilities, and in his educational background. Changing attitudes towards trade and the merchant class marked this period. The 13th and 14th centuries saw a tremendous growth in commercial activity, and a consequent restructuring of society, away from the feudal system. Societal Structure and the New Urban Economy.In the next section, we'll learn about how boys became knights. The path to knighthood started when a boy was very young - official training usually began around age 7.
#IMPACT OF FEUDALISM IN THE MIDDLE AGES PROFESSIONAL#
A knight could make a fortune either by a grant of land from a king or by being a paid professional in service to a lord. So, it was an appealing means for a younger son of a lord to advance himself. Knighthood was not an inherited position - it had to be earned. Knights were members of the gentry in that they held a place in society above the peasants, but they weren't necessarily members of the noble ruling classes or royalty. In fact, nobles often warred amongst themselves over territories.įeudalism did offer a means for a person to advance himself within society through military service and knighthood. One drawback to this system was that the nobles were very powerful because they controlled the armies. Each lord or vassal raised an army to defend his fief and to serve the king as needed.
Fiefs - and the obligation to serve the king - were inherited by the eldest son of the ruling nobleman.įeudalism allowed large territories to be governed in the absence of a central government. The peasants were bound to the land, so it was in the vassal's interest to protect them from invaders. Peasants, or serfs, farmed the land and provided the vassal or lord with wealth in the form of food and products. In return, the lord provided the knight with lodging, food, armor, weapons, horses and money. Many knights were professional warriors who served in the lord's army. The king could also grant fiefs to vassals (knights) in exchange for military service.
The king granted fiefs (portions of land) to nobles (lords or barons) in return for loyalty, protection and service. In feudalism, the king owned all of the land. To control such a large territory, Charlemagne instituted a feudal system of government. The Frankish tribes established control over vast territories, and one Frankish king, Charlemagne (Charles the Great) ruled a large chunk of Europe - from northern Spain and Italy through France, Germany and Poland. Numerous tribes fought for domination over territories, but there were no central governments or national armies. The French School/The Bridgeman Art Library/ Getty ImagesĪfter the fall of the Roman Empire, Western Europe had no countries.
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