Why and How Feudalism Declined in Europe - Medieval History DOCUMENTARY

Summary

This video script explores the complex decline of feudalism in Western Europe, influenced by factors like the Crusades, technological advancements, urban growth, and peasant uprisings. It highlights the transition from serfdom to wage labor, the rise of centralized states, and the emergence of capitalism, illustrating a centuries-long shift in socio-economic systems.

Takeaways

• 📚 History is traditionally viewed as a linear progression from one socio-economic system to another, but the transition was complex and varied by region and time.
• 🏰 Feudalism, as defined by Maurice Dobb, was characterized by serfdom and political decentralization, with feudal lords holding significant control over their lands and subjects.
• 🛡️ The Crusades had a dual impact on feudalism, leading to the financial ruin of some feudal lords and the introduction of gunpowder, which undermined the defensive capabilities of castles.
• 🌐 The expansion of trade post-Crusades revitalized long-distance commerce in Western Europe, contributing to the rise of urban centers and the merchant class, which challenged feudal self-sufficiency.
• 🏙️ The growth of cities provided an alternative for serfs seeking freedom from feudal control, and the urban class's influence grew, contributing to the decline of feudalism.
• 🛡️ The Hundred Years' War and the use of new military technologies like longbows and cannons weakened the military dominance of feudal lords and castles.
• 😷 The Black Death led to a significant reduction in the population, granting serfs more leverage to negotiate for better conditions or to seek wage labor, further eroding feudal control.
• 🏛️ The emergence of capitalist farmers and the transformation of the manor system, where bailiffs rented lands and employed wage labor, marked the beginning of capitalist relations in the countryside.
• 🗳️ Political struggles, such as the Magna Carta in England, and peasant revolts, challenged the feudal system and contributed to the rise of individual liberties and the decline of serfdom.
• 🕰️ The transition from feudalism to capitalism was a gradual process that took centuries, with key moments identified by Maurice Dobb as the 14th-century crisis, the rise of capitalism in the late 16th and 17th centuries, and the Industrial Revolution.

Q & A

What is the general view of history's progression in terms of socio-economic systems?

History is often viewed as a linear process transitioning from one mode of production and socio-economic system to another, starting from primitive communities, moving to slavery, then to feudalism, and eventually to capitalism.

What is the role of Tacticool in the video script?

Tacticool is the sponsor of the video, a 5 v 5 competitive shooter game that offers a promotional code for in-game rewards and is advertised as a free, best competitive game on Google Play.

How does Maurice Dobb define feudalism?

Maurice Dobb defines feudalism as a system virtually identical with serfdom, characterized by obligations laid on the producer by force to fulfill certain economic demands of an overlord.

What were the main features of feudalism according to the script?

The main features of feudalism included the use of primitive techniques and instruments of production, political decentralization, and demesne-farming as the dominant type of labor on lands owned by feudal lords.

Why did feudalism begin to decline in Western Europe around the 13th-14th centuries?

Feudalism began to decline due to various factors, including the struggle of monarchs to establish more control over the state, the rise of townspeople capitalists, and the expansion of trade.

How did the Crusades impact the decline of feudalism?

The Crusades impacted the decline of feudalism by leading to the import of new military technologies like gunpowder, which made castles more susceptible to military actions, and by expanding trade in Western Europe.

What was the significance of the growth of cities in the decline of feudalism?

The growth of cities was significant as it attracted peasants for employment and new life, offering refuge from feudal control, and leading to the emergence of a rich urban class that contributed to the rise of capitalism.

How did the Hundred Years’ War contribute to the decline of feudalism?

The Hundred Years’ War contributed by changing military strategy, increasing the role of commoners, and fostering a sense of national identity that was more aligned with the state and the king rather than the feudal lord.

What role did the bubonic plague play in the decline of feudalism?

The bubonic plague played a role by causing a drastic decrease in population, which gave serfs more leverage to negotiate for wage labor instead of forced labor, thus weakening the feudal system.

How did the emergence of capitalist farmers contribute to the decline of feudalism?

The emergence of capitalist farmers contributed by introducing capitalist relations in the countryside, where farmers were motivated to pay rent and accumulate profit by selling surplus produce in town markets, enhancing trade and weakening feudalism.

What were the three decisive moments in the transition from feudalism to capitalism according to Maurice Dobb?

According to Maurice Dobb, the three decisive moments were the crisis of feudalism in the 14th century, the beginning of capitalism in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the victory of capitalism through the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 Decline of Feudalism in Europe

This paragraph discusses the historical progression from primitive communities to various socio-economic systems, including slavery, feudalism, and capitalism. It emphasizes the complex nature of these transitions, involving transitional forms and regional variations. The decline of feudalism in Europe, particularly during the 13th-14th centuries, is highlighted, attributing it to factors such as the Crusades, the rise of townspeople capitalists, and the struggle of monarchs for more state control. The paragraph also introduces the concept of feudalism as defined by historian Maurice Dobb, describing its main features and the political decentralization characteristic of the system.

05:05

🛡️ Impact of the Crusades and Military Advancements

The second paragraph delves into the role of the Crusades in the decline of feudalism, including the introduction of gunpowder and its impact on castle defenses. It discusses how the Crusades facilitated the expansion of trade in Western Europe, leading to the growth of cities and the accumulation of wealth by merchants, which in turn contributed to the rise of the bourgeoisie class. The paragraph also touches on the self-sufficiency of feudalism and how the growth of trade and cities provided alternatives for peasants, leading to a decrease in feudal control and the eventual transition to a money-based economy.

10:06

🌾 Transformation of Manor System and Population Decline

This section examines the internal transformation within the manor system, where bailiffs began to rent lands and employ peasants for wages, leading to the emergence of capitalist farmers. It also discusses the significant role of the bubonic plague in reducing the population and weakening feudal control, as well as the impact of the Hundred Years' War on military strategy and the rise of national identities. The war's use of longbows and cannons undermined the feudal army's reliance on mounted knights and castle defenses, contributing to the decline of feudalism and the rise of centralized states.

15:12

🏛️ The Political Struggle and the End of Serfdom

The final paragraph covers the political struggle between monarchs and the nobility, the adoption of laws that expanded individual liberties, and the significance of the Magna Carta in promoting ideas of individual rights. It also mentions the peasant rebellions and the gradual recognition of the need to replace serf labor with wage labor. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on the long-term process of transitioning from feudalism to capitalism, noting that it was not instantaneous but took several centuries, with Maurice Dobb identifying three decisive moments in this transition.

Keywords

💡Feudalism

Feudalism is a socio-economic system characterized by a hierarchical structure of land ownership and the exchange of labor for protection and land rights. In the video, it is described as a system where serfs were bound to fulfill economic demands of their overlords. It is the central theme, detailing its decline in Western Europe due to various factors such as the Crusades, urbanization, and the emergence of capitalism.

💡Serfdom

Serfdom refers to the state of peasants who were bound to the land they worked on and were subject to the will of their feudal lords. It is a key aspect of feudalism, as described by Maurice Dobb in the script, where serfs had obligations enforced by the lords, which could include labor services or payment of dues.

💡Crusades

The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims for control over the Holy Land. In the script, they are mentioned as a catalyst for the decline of feudalism, as they led to the spread of new technologies, changes in land ownership, and the expansion of trade, which in turn contributed to the rise of urban centers and the bourgeoisie.

💡Gunpowder

Gunpowder is a substance that burns to create an explosion and was a significant military technology. The script mentions its introduction from the East during the Crusades, which made castles, a symbol of feudal autonomy, more vulnerable to attack, thus aiding the centralization of power and the decline of feudalism.

💡Urbanization

Urbanization is the process of migration from rural to urban areas, leading to the growth of cities. The script discusses how the growth of cities provided an alternative for peasants to escape feudal control, contributing to the decline of feudalism as it created a demand for wage labor and a shift towards a money-based economy.

💡Bourgeoisie

The bourgeoisie refers to the middle class, particularly those engaged in commerce, industry, or finance. In the video, the rise of the bourgeoisie is linked to the decline of feudalism, as they accumulated wealth and power, eventually challenging the aristocracy and paving the way for capitalism.

💡Nation-state

A nation-state is a sovereign state with a defined territory and a significant share of its population as a group of people sharing common cultural characteristics. The script explains that the emergence of nation-states, with centralized power and national identities, contributed to the decline of feudal power structures.

💡Black Death

The Black Death, or bubonic plague, was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. The script describes its impact on feudalism as it led to a significant decrease in population, giving serfs more leverage to negotiate for better conditions or to escape to cities, thus weakening the feudal system.

💡Hundred Years' War

The Hundred Years' War was a prolonged conflict between England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries. The script mentions this war as having an impact on feudalism by changing military strategies, increasing the role of commoners, and fostering a sense of national identity that was more aligned with the state than with feudal lords.

💡Magna Carta

The Magna Carta is a charter of rights agreed upon by King John of England in 1215. While initially seen as strengthening the nobility's position, the script suggests that in the long term, it contributed to the idea of individual rights, which was at odds with the feudal concept of serfdom.

💡Enclosure Movement

The Enclosure Movement refers to the process of consolidating or fencing off common lands into individual plots. The script briefly mentions it as a factor contributing to the economic impoverishment of the lower classes, which challenged the feudal system by altering the traditional rights of peasants to use common land.

Highlights

History's view of socio-economic transitions as a linear process from primitive communities to capitalism.

Complications in historical transitions involving various stages and regional differences.

Sponsorship of the video by Tacticool, a 5v5 competitive shooter game.

Tacticool's features including realistic physics, destructible environments, and a variety of weapons.

The decline of feudalism in Europe and its transition to capitalism.

Henri Martin's observation on feudalism's internal contradictions leading to its downfall.

The impact of the Crusades on the decline of feudalism, including the introduction of gunpowder.

The role of trade expansion in undermining the self-sufficiency of feudalism.

The rise of the merchant class and the transition from an exchange-based to a money-based economy.

The growth of cities and their attraction for peasants seeking freedom from feudal control.

The transformation within the manor system leading to capitalist relations in the countryside.

The bubonic plague's devastating effect on the population and its impact on feudal labor dynamics.

The Hundred Years’ War's influence on military strategy and the rise of national identities.

The emergence of standing armies and the decrease in feudal dependence among commoners.

The significance of peasant rebellions in challenging the feudal system and pushing for change.

The political struggle between monarchs and nobility in shaping individual liberties.

Maurice Dobb's theory on the transition from feudalism to capitalism taking five centuries.

Transcripts

History is often viewed as a linear process of transition from one mode of production

and socio-economic system to the other.

The primitive community transitioned to slavery, which moved on to feudalism with the transformation

of slavery into serfdom, which gave way to capitalism as a more profitable mode of production.

But in practice, this process was more complicated involving transitionary forms and passing

through different stages at different points in history in different regions.

In this episode of Kings and Generals, we are going to talk about the reasons for the

decline of feudalism in Europe.

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What is feudalism?

Historian Maurice Dobb defines feudalism as a system “virtually identical with what

we usually mean by serfdom: an obligation laid on the producer by force and independently

of his own volition to fulfill certain economic demands of an overlord, whether these demands

take the form of services to be performed or of dues to be paid in money or in-kind”.

He describes the main features of feudalism as the use of primitive techniques and instruments

of production with the unsophisticated division of labour.

In feudalism, demesne-farming was the dominant type of labour carried out on lands owned

by a feudal lord and the vast majority of produce was used for the immediate needs of

the lord and his subjects.

These lords possessed almost total superiority over their serfs and could do almost anything

short of executing them.

One of the primary features of feudalism was political decentralization, as while a monarch

was a de facto sovereign of all feudal vassals in the country and exerted control over them

through lawmaking, taxation, and use for military purposes, feudals possessed almost unfettered

control over their lands and subjects.

Under feudalism, a monarch ruled over the state, which was divided into lands of various

sizes among hereditary feudals, who received lands and estates in accordance with their

services for the kingdom.

But around the 13th-14th centuries feudalism entered the period of decline in Western Europe

gradually giving way to capitalism.

Historian Henri Martin observed that “Feudalism concealed in its bosom the weapons with which

it would be itself one day smitten”, referring to the struggle of monarchs to establish more

control over the state and its feudal subjects through the support they had received from

an emerging class of townspeople capitalists, whose rise was possible due to growth of urban

centers, towns, and cities as a result of the expansion of trade.

These and other factors have caused the demise of feudalism and we will discuss them below.

Let’s start with the Crusades, which at first glance do not seem like something that

could have had a negative impact on feudalism.

The driving force of the Crusades were large feudal landowners, who would often use their

own money and resources to raise armies for this endeavour.

Surviving and returning feudals would often be so broke that they would accept peasants

buying lands and becoming essentially free from feudal control.

The same is true for towns, which used to be under feudal control and now were able

to purchase their freedom for their former lords.

These events led to an increasing portion of lands and a number of serfs setting themselves

free from feudal control.

Crusades also played a role in the import of new military technologies like gunpowder

from the East.

Gunpowder enabled the production of cannons and the cannons made feudal castles, one of

the key factors behind their autonomy, more susceptible to military actions.

In the pre-gunpowder era, it was extremely difficult and costly to capture castles and

feudal lords were confident in the impenetrability of their walls and hence their autonomy.

Now it was easier for kings to break feudal resistance and establish more solid control

over their lands, which made Western European states more centralized.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the Crusades also played a major role in the expansion

of trade in Western Europe.

Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, there was no major authority in Western

Europe to protect and maintain the road network.

Along with that, the Caliphate expanded to important trading regions like Gibraltar,

Alexandria, Sardinia, and Malta, hence the long-distance trade conducted by Western Europeans

gradually diminished and became localized.

One of the key tenets of feudalism was its self-sufficiency, as often all of the produce

from the feudal lands were used for mostly the feudal and a small portion of it for the

feudal subjects living and working on these lands.

There was a very small surplus left for major trade operations.

Crusades helped to expand the Western European reach to major cities like Constantinople

and Alexandria, along with gaining a temporary foothold in the Holy Land.

Moreover, Western Europeans regained control of important islands and trade outposts in

the Mediterranean.

This played an important role in the restoration of long-distance trade in Europe.

The Belgian historian Henri Pirenne argued that long-distance trade not only enabled

economic development and growth of civilizations, but was also a major driver of exchange of

ideas, exposure of civilizations and cultures amongst each other.

Lack of these led to ruralization of Europe, a decrease of the significance of cities,

less contact and exposure within Europe and between Europe and other civilizations.

Expansion of trade led to the accumulation of money by merchants and a gradual transition

from an exchange-based economy to a money-based economy.

The merchant class was made up of commoners and was the predecessor of bourgeoisie class,

which would in the upcoming centuries upend the European aristocracy.

The emergence of major cities was another important factor causing the crisis of feudalism.

We already talked about how dropping revenues forced feudal lords to give up control over

a large number of serfs, some of whom moved to cities for employment and new life.

While the exploitation of labour and the general hardship of course existed in cities as well,

urban centers were attractive to peasants for, at least, being safe from feudal arbitrariness

and oppression, along with providing them with certain rights and freedoms.

Towns and cities would often offer refuge to runaway serfs and peasant rebels, especially

during the 14th century, when peasant rebellions got widespread in Western Europe.

The emerging class of rich urban dwellers was also active in trying to attract peasants

to cities as cheap labor force and more soldiers to their militaries.

It is important not to over-exaggerate the significance of the impact of the growth of

cities on feudalism, since most of the peasant and serf migration was still within the countryside.

The growth of cities in Europe between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries was major,

but the overall urban population of Europe was no more than 10% in that period.

But the mere fact that now there was an alternative for peasants to leave for cities put additional

pressure on feudal landowners and feudalism.

The growth of cities and the increase of manor-city trade were also linked to the gradual transformation

within the manor system itself.

Feudal lords would assign bailiffs amongst their peasants to manage and oversee the cultivation,

storage, and disposal of the produce made on their lands.

Naturally, not all dealings between lords and bailiffs had been honest, as bailiffs

tended to keep some of the produce and money made from trading it for themselves.

Gradually bailiffs accumulated enough money to start renting parts of the lands owned

by their feudal lords.

They would employ peasants to work on rented lands in exchange for wages or produce, since

serfs were obliged to work only for their feudal lords.

This paved the way for the gradual emergence of capitalist relations in the countryside

and the class of capitalist farmers.

Such farmers would usually become better managers of lands, since they were driven by the motivation

to pay the rent and accumulate more profit by selling the surplus produce in town markets,

which enhanced trade between the countryside and cities further boosting the process of

decline of feudalism.

The decrease of population in Western Europe also played a major role in the demise of

feudalism.

In the mid 14th century the bubonic plague reached Europe and devastated the whole continent

over the next decades.

There are different estimates of the bubonic plague casualties in Europe ranging from 24

million to 70 million.

Some claim that 60% of the European population was wiped out during the pandemic.

Whole towns and communities would disappear.

It brought chaos and social disruption to European states.

Many serfs would run away from the countryside, hoping that the bubonic plague would not catch

them in the cities.

Trade, enterprise, economic relations - all collapsed and it had to be rebuilt again.

There were fewer people to employ due to a drastic decrease in population.

Therefore, enforcing serf labour was not as easy anymore, since serfs now had more leverage

and often used it to do wage labour instead.

This was a further blow to feudalism.

The Hundred Years’ War between England and France had a similar impact on feudalism.

This long-lasting conflict had major implications on military strategy, the organization of

armies, the emergence of national identities in Europe, and the increase of the role of

commoners against the nobility, which all had a negative influence on feudalism.

Longbows were used extensively during the war and proved to be an effective weapon against

mounted knights, one of the key components of feudal armies.

Cannons were also used during the Hundred Years’ War.

They would penetrate castle walls making feudals vulnerable to the power of the state, where

the role of the monarch was gradually growing.

France would be the first country since Roman times to use a standing army in 1445, making

the monarch less dependent on levies and mercenaries, which were the key components of the feudalism

era armies.

Standing armies would consist of commoners, which helped to boost their value in society

and decrease their feudal dependence.

Many losses suffered by them during the war would increase their value in peacetime as

labourers, making it less and less likely that they would work for free as serfs.

Moreover, the large-scale nature of the Hundreds Years’ War and participation of different

strata of English and French societies increased the sense of patriotism, national identity,

and loyalty to the state and the king, rather than the feudal lord, like it used to be.

This process led to the emergence of more centralized territorial states, where feudal

aristocracy was still prominent but was gradually losing its rights to absolutist monarchs.

Territorial states or nation-states paved the way for the further progression of the

urban-based bourgeoisie and capitalism in Western Europe.

While feudal aristocracy still enjoyed political influence well into the Modern Era, the economic

power was shifting to bourgeoisie and capitalists mirroring the process of transformation of

the mode of production in Western Europe from feudalism to capitalism.

Whereas the processes described above logically should have led to more rights for peasants

and commoners in Western Europe, as is usually the case in history, the change did not come

without popular movements and social unrest.

In the 14th century, Europe was a ground for numerous major peasant rebellions in England,

Flanders, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.

The 1381 peasant revolt in England is especially notable in that respect.

In the initial phase, the revolt was so successful that rebels advanced to London and forced

King Richard II to meet with the rebels and promise them to abolish serfdom.

The rebellion was eventually defeated and Richard II reneged on his promise, but it

definitely pushed the English landowners and nobility to think hard and long about necessary

changes, eventually leading to the disappearance of serfdom, the key pillar of feudalism, by

the 15th century and its substitution with wage labour.

The political struggle between monarchs and the nobility also played its part in the decline

of feudalism.

Particularly in England, the period of the 12th-13th centuries was a time of adoption

of laws expanding individual liberties, including for commoners.

In the 12th century, Henry II strengthened the role of royal courts as new laws stipulated

that an individual could not be jailed or executed for no legal reason, which in theory

weakened the position of feudal lords against their subjects.

In 1215, during the reign of his successor King John Magna Carta was adopted.

While in short term Magna Carta strengthened positions of the nobility, in the long run,

it contributed to ideas on individual rights in England, which was incompatible with a

key pillar of feudalism - serfdom.

It should be noted that some historians are less keen on Magna Carta as the reason feudalism

declined, and offer the devastation of the Wars of the Roses and the economic impoverishment

of the lower classes via enclosures as more important factors.

Essentially, most of the factors negatively impacting feudalism trace their roots to the

human factor.

Many of these factors caused and enabled the flight of serfs and peasants from the countryside.

Why were they so keen to leave their homes once the opportunity arose?

The answer according to historian Maurice Dobb is simple - over-exploitation.

The greed and desire for ever-increasing profit were so high for feudal landlords that peasants

were overworked and exhausted and as soon as better opportunities emerged on the horizon

they fled the countryside en masse causing the gradual decline of feudalism.

This is not to say that over-exploitation ended together with feudalism, as it in fact

turned into capitalist exploitation instead, but it was different in its nature and undoubtedly

progress for humankind, manifesting if not in better living and economic standards, then

at least, in terms of civil and political rights, which they utterly lacked in the feudal

era.

Over-exploitation was also a cause for peasant rebellions, dropping economic productivity

and gradual recognition that serf labour would have to be substituted by wage labour.

It is necessary to remember that the decline of feudalism and the emergence of capitalism

as the dominant mode of production was not a rapid process.

It took centuries and numerous crises for capitalism to upend feudalism.

In major Eastern European powers like Russia serfdom existed until the 19th century and

the economy was primarily feudal and agrarian for a very long time.

What is described in this video is the decline of feudalism in Western Europe, where the

process of decline of feudalism started and finished earlier.

But it still took a lot of time.

According to Dobb, there were three decisive moments in the process of transition from

feudalism to capitalism.

First, the crisis of feudalism in the 14th century.

Second, the beginning of capitalism in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Third, the victory of capitalism through the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth and

early nineteenth centuries.

Based on Maurice Dobb’s theory, it took 5 long centuries for feudalism to give way

to capitalism.

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