People often describe Medieval Europe as a feudal society lasting nearly a thousand years. The approximate temporal boundaries of Medieval Europe range from 500 to 1500 CE, though the exact beginning and end points vary between scholars based on what aspect is being discussed. Although most people think of the so-called Middle Ages as a period of bleakness, backbreaking toil, and constant war, and feudalism was undeniably brutal at times, there was also a rich flowering of knowledge and culture even before the Renaissance. Many of the cultural underpinnings established during this period have survived into the present day. To better understand this history, we have to look at the interplay of the three broad social classes and the distribution of resources.How Did Feudalism Start in Europe?The Course of Empire Destruction, by Cole Thomas, 1836. Source: Wikimedia CommonsPrior to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, commonly agreed to have occurred in 476, most of Europe existed under a centralized state authority. Roman overlords would collect taxes and keep their brand of societal order. Various factors led to the fall of Rome, which warrant separate examination beyond the scope of this piece, but nevertheless, the collapse of Rome led to a power vacuum where anyone could theoretically carve out their own territory.Because of this lack of centralized rule, there was no one keeping bandits, warlords, and assorted other would-be rulers from staking their claim on whatever land they wanted.Some people with more accumulated wealth and military might than others staked their land claims amidst the untamed wilderness and forests of Europe, offering protection to those who were not able to defend their own lands in exchange for a portion of their agricultural output or other services. This is the basic arrangement of what we call feudalism, or the manorial system.Feudalism is more accurately the distribution of land from sovereigns to minor nobles in exchange for loyalty and military support. How each noble managed their allotted portion of land fell under the manorial economy. Over time, these systems became entrenched in society, and a class system emerged, each with its own role.Societal Classes in FeudalismPeasant and His Wife, by Albrecht Durer, 1497. Source: Heidelberg UniversityThree broad classes existed within European feudalism: the peasantry, clergy, and nobility. At the bottom of the social ladder and by far the most numerous were the peasantry, responsible for farming the land and performing other miscellaneous trades. They had social obligations to the nobility in the form of taxes and goods. Peasants were often required to live and work on a given piece of land, as determined by the landholder, whether that was a lord or a church bishop.The clergy consisted of priests, nuns, bishops, and other roles within the Church. During the majority of the Feudal Period, the Roman Catholic Church was the religious authority, to the point of almost being a monopoly. Any religious dissent was met with swift, often brutal punishment, and the threat of not being able to receive salvation from Hell via the Church carried a sort of existential threat among people in these times. The clergy preserved religious texts, ensured literacy (at least for those who would pursue a religious vocation), and often officiated religious events such as baptisms and weddings. They also did what was called Gods work in the form of public works and charity.Finally, the nobility was the upper class of society. As stated, this consisted of the sovereign, his lords of various ranks, and knights. Their role was to provide protection to the other two classes, and as time went on, institutions like the code of chivalry were developed to be a moral example for how people should behave.What Was the Feudal Economy Like?Medieval Merchants House Hall. Source: Wikimedia CommonsAfter the massive population decline post-Rome, much of Europe that had been cultivated farmland returned to wilderness that was virtually impossible to pass through. The famous roads that linked the Roman Empire were broken up for construction or had eroded from a lack of maintenance. This led to a localized agricultural economy wherein each fief was self-sufficient.At first, agriculture was mostly subsistence, with enough food being grown to keep a family alive. Grains were the chief foodstuff of most peoples diets in Europe. Agricultural reforms, which included crop rotation, collars for horses, and heavy plows, over time led to a surplus of food and the ability to learn other trades and gain access to resources. In time, this led to a barter economy where people traded goods and services in kind.Skilled trades such as smithing, carpentry, and masonry were of value too, and a peasant or craftsman trained in this work could receive higher wages and potentially buy their freedom from servitude.PeasantryOn the Field, by Michial Klodt, 1871. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe peasant class was divided into two broad categories depending on their freedom of movement. Most of the peasants were serfs, meaning they were legally bound to the lords plot of land and required to work it, providing a portion of their produce to the lord. They could not leave except by permission, by escaping (the customary time frame in England, for example, was a year and a day of evading capture, and there could be harsh punishments if caught), or if they acquired enough wealth to buy their freedom. The process of releasing a peasant from the land was called manumission, and the price for a serf to pay for this process was at the lords discretion.Tenants, meanwhile, were still members of the peasant class and subject to taxes, but they could own their own land and move freely. They could also own a business or trade, and accumulate their own wealth. In addition to taxes to the manor lord, a peasant also had to pay tithes (a tenth of their income) to the Church.Although peasants had few rights comparatively, it was wise for a lord not to mistreat them. For one thing, they worked the land and provided food. Events like the 1371 Peasants Revolt illustrated what could happen if lords were seen to have overstepped.ClergySaint Anthony of Padua, by the Romagna School of Painting, c. 1520. Source: The Walters Art MuseumThe clergy in Europe were the most educated and literate of the three social classes; even the nobility had a comparatively low literacy rate. As such, they were responsible, in addition to the religious duties that would be expected, for education. They preserved knowledge; one of the most commonly depicted duties of monks was the painstaking transcription of religious or other texts. Many of the first universities that are still in existence today were established by the Church to aid in preserving knowledge.Weve touched upon the effect religious authority had upon the peasantry, but this also extended to the nobility. As the Church accumulated wealth through tithes and donationswhich were not taxedit became more powerful and able to hold lands just as the nobility did, and sometimes exceeded them to the point of lords becoming subservient to a local bishop.The nobility was thought to be such by virtue of divine right, conferred by the Church. Therefore, seeking the overthrow of a sovereign or a lord was tantamount to disobeying God directly. However, if a noble were to do something that the local bishop or the Church as a whole did not agree with, there was the risk of excommunication and perceived loss of the divine right to rule. Many of the clergy also found themselves in advisory positions and did much of the day-to-day administration because they were the learned class.NobilityThe Knighting of Sir Galahad, Jasper Anglican Church. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe nobility was the upper class of society, consisting of positions that ran the gamut from landed knights all the way to the sovereign of the realm. Their role in society was that of governance and keeping society running as smoothly as possible. Specific duties in day-to-day situations often included hearing and adjudicating disputes between peasants and collecting taxes for any noble to whom they had sworn vassalage. They could also maintain public utilities such as grain mills, which were for common use. The upkeep of these amenities was paid for by taxes.The nobility was also expected to raise an army if called upon to do so, consisting of knights, men-at-arms, and others. They could also conscript the peasantry to fight, but only for a short time because the peasants would have to be able to work the fields. Most wars were fought in summer, and harvest happened in the autumn. Conscripts would use what farm tools they had as weapons, or they would be issued basic equipment like spears and rudimentary armor.Decline of FeudalismThe Peasants Revolt, from the Chroniques de France, by Froissart, 1460-80. Source: British LibraryAlthough the Middle Ages lasted almost a thousand years, the height of feudalism was mainly during the earlier part of the period, before the Crusades. Funding an army and getting it all the way to the Holy Land was expensive, so to finance the endeavor, nobles would often sell portions of their land or free their serfs through manumission. They would go to fight, and if they were killed without any estate heirs, the nobles land would come under the control of the monarchy directly, leading to more centralized power.The Black Death, or bubonic plague, was also a crucial turning point in the stability of feudalism: the plague swept through Europe and killed an estimated 30 to 60 percent of the population from 1347 to 1353, exacerbated by a woeful lack of sanitation in cities and a lack of modern medical understanding of disease treatment. The full effects of the disease on European society warrant separate discussion, but it gave the peasant class far more leverage than they had previously had: nobles were unaccustomed and unskilled in the type of manual labor required for farming, so the peasants had the ability at this point to demand decreased obligations and higher pay.The power of the Church was also diminished; people saw the efforts of the clergy through medical care and prayer to stem the tide of the plague, and how ineffectual they ultimately were. This, among other factors, led ultimately to the start of the Protestant Reformation some 200 years later in 1517 with Martin Luthers 95 Theses. There is no single event, however, that can be credited with the dismantling of the feudal system in Europe.