Feudalism: Contemporary Descriptions and the Magna Carta

Ok folks, welcome to medieval times in Europe. Although imperial or royal rule received great attention in post-classical Eastern Europe, feudalism was more characteristic in Western Europe. Western feudalism, evolving in turbulent 8th century France, offered aristocratic landowners potential security in the absence of law and order. By concession or usurpation, major landowners assumed substantial legal and governmental powers from the central government and proceeded through private arrangements with lesser landowners (their vassals) to create local militias for defensive purposes. Inherently particularistic and initially undisciplined, feudalism enveloped the monarchy itself. Feudalism evolved its own system of law and code of ethics for its members members as it spread throughout Europe to assume a dominant role in the political and cultural history of the Middle Ages. Introduced to England in 1066 by William the Conqueror--who substantially curbed the powers of all feudal vassals while retaining considerable central authority--feudalism emphasized mutual obligations within the military elite, often including the king. All members, including the monarchs who headed the feudal system, enjoyed specific rights but were also bound by feudal law to perform fixed obligations.

The first document that I would like you to read was written by a well-known French bishop, who offers a general description--obviously somewhat idealized--of what feudalism involved (you can read it by clicking here). The second document I would like you to read is from a 9th century feudal contract and it describes conditions of separation (you can read it by clicking here and reading under section 5). These should be compared the the ideal statement and also with the less legalistic values in Japanese feudalism. The third document I'd like you to look at shows how the contractual emphases in Western feudalism (essentially "I'll live up to my obligations if you live up to yours) could lead to innovations in the system of monarchy, innovations that would have durable importance in the Western political tradition. The only available means for feudal vassals to force an obstinate royal overlord to observe the binding feudal law was to resort to arms. Such means were used in 1215 by secular and ecclesiastical vassals under the leadership of Stenphen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury, against King John of England. John was forced to place his seal on the Magna Carta (you can read it by clicking here), a charter of 60 chapters listing arbitrary royal encroachments on the feudal law as well as violations against traditional rights and liberties (although you only need to look at #s 1, 12-14, 23, 24, 28-32, 38-42, 45, 52, 55, 60, and 61 for me). Although the charter exerted little real impact on medieval English law and government because John died nine weeks after signing the document, its rediscovery and use by 17th century opponents of royal absolutism allowed it to take a fundamental position in the English constitution. contrary to popular belief, the original charter did not establish the individual to trial by jury.

The Magna Carta must be interpreted as a feudal document: How does it define rights and government, and who participates in what kind of rights? Feudalism was a political response to the extremely chaotic conditions of the early Middle Ages in Western Europe. The feudal system could be bent toward more centralized rule only with difficulty, and the Magna Carta reveals some of the resulting tensions. Feudalism did, however, generate the beginnings of political principles, based on the concept of mutuality, that would be used in later political systems, as the subsequent revival of the Magna Carta attests. Keep in mind as well that the Western feudal concept must also be compared with Japan. With that in mind, after reading these documents, I want to know what you think: What are the basic characteristics of European feudalism? What did lords and vassals gain from a feudal tie? What were their respective obligations? In what ways is it clear that vassals, although required to be loyal to their lords, were basically in the same social class? In what ways was the Magna Carta a feudal document? How had the king violated feudalism, and what remedies were proposed? Why were the Magna Carta's principles (though not the document itself) important in Western political history? How did feudal ideas about restrictions on a king compare with more modern ideas of limited government? What were the main differences between Japanese and European feudalism? What was the long-term significance of these differences? Would Japanese vassals have approved of an approach such as that suggested in the Magna Carta? What would a Confucian bureaucrat have thought of the feudal system? Would he have preferred the European or the Japanese version?