Henry's Discourse on Feudalism Quiz

Answer: King

After the fall of the Roman Empire, there was no order or government in Western Europe. Invaders ravaged what had been one of the greatest empires in the world, and land was taken by ambitious people who could not be conquered. A king might be able to claim a "kingdom".

However, he usually did not have an army large enough to protect it. He would divide his land and give portions to strong men he trusted to help defend his holdings. These were dangerous times in England, as it was every man for himself, but since the time of Æthelstan, England has been more unified.

As William of Malmesbury said, "no one more just or more learned ever governed the kingdom".

Answer: Fief

The fief is a land grant that is given in exchange for certain promises. Fiefs vary in size, but once the obligations are accepted by both the granter and the receiver, the receiver of the fief can do whatever he is strong enough to do with his estate.

He can coin money, charge tolls, and even wage wars, as long as he carries out his promises to the granter of the fief. Ownership of the fief is hereditary as long as both parties keep the terms of their agreement.

Answer: lord and vassal

The lord, also called an overlord or liege lord, is the granter of the land, while the vassal is the receiver of the land. In medieval society, both of these people are nobles, however, the liege lord is probably a higher ranking great noble, as he is the one who originally received the land grant from the king.

It is understood that while the land belongs to the king, the lords and vassals are able to use it as long as they fulfill their obligations. This means that it will pass on to their heirs; together they will defend the king's land.

Answer: Investiture

During the investiture service, the vassal will kneel before the lord, place both hands in the lord's hands, and say, "I will always be a faithful vassal to thee and to thy successors...and I will defend thee...and all your men and their possessions against all malefactors and invaders...."

In case you are wondering, there are other types of investiture services, as it is a formal service that "invests a person with honor or rank". Knights went through an investiture ceremony, and so did bishops.

Answer: Homage

Loyalty is one of the key elements that hold the feudalistic system together. Would a lord give a fief to someone he didn't trust?! Never! Also called the oath of fealty, the vassal promises, "For each and all of these lands I make homage and fealty with hands and mouth to thee, my lord, and thy land against all invaders, so help me God and the saints".

Remember that all of these people are deeply religious. If they take a vow before God, they mean it! Also, all of them are knights as well. The code of chivalry was taken very seriously, and included the ideas of loyalty, bravery and courage as well as Christian virtues.

Answer: False

Don't take this the wrong way, but none of us are very literate. On top of that, we don't have much of anything to write on as the Moslems have cut off the papyrus trade with Egypt and the parchment trade with Pergamum. My lady has taught all of us to read and write, but we still have a lot to learn.

It is much easier for us to use symbols. During the investiture ceremony, the lord may give a deed or charter, but it is accompanied with a clump of dirt, blade of grass, or twig of a tree, which are symbols of the land the vassal is receiving.

Answer: Scutage

When the terms of the agreement are made, the lord and vassal agree to the number of days each year that the vassal will provide military aid to the lord. For example, in northern France it is said that the vassal must provide the service of his knights forty days and nights a year. If the lord requires more service time, he may ask for some sort of compensation, but to tell you the truth, most early lords didn't have a lot of gold and silver. What they had that was valuable, that gave them power, was the land.

In our day and time, with money becoming more common, shield money, or scutage, can be paid. The king doesn't mind this sort of payment, as he will just turn around and use the money to hire mercenary soldiers. My lord, the Earl of Warwick, however, tries to make his knights available to the king when possible.

He says it is part of the agreement, and that most of the time his fief is peaceful so some of his knights can leave without causing too much concern.

Answer: True

The vassal has the right for the lord to hear his complaints in open court, and for all those who live on his fief to receive the lord's justice. Of course, the vassal is the lord of his own estate, and he will hold court there as well for his own people.

Answer: Duke

The way feudalism is arranged, everyone is someone's lord and someone's vassal, except for those at the very top (like the king) and those at the very bottom (like the lesser barons). These are honorary titles, and the pledge between the two is never to be taken lightly.

In England, the greatest nobles are called dukes. Beneath them in order are the marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. These titles probably began to evolve as we tried to defend ourselves from the invasions of the Danes. Back in the 1000s, when England was divided into shires, the earl was the local noble in charge. Now these titles are passed down from generation to generation as long as feudal obligations are met.

Answer: William the Conqueror

William realized that he not only needed to keep the loyalty of his Norman knights, but he also needed to win over the Anglo-Saxon nobles that he and his men had defeated at the Battle of Hastings. He made sure the fiefs were scattered, so that the nobles would not have much opportunity to conspire against him. He also limited the number and size of castles that could be built on each estate. In addition, when his nobles took the Salisbury Oath, they swore their oath of loyalty to him ONLY. That way they owed their primary allegiance to him, not the lord who gave them the fief.