feudalism
FYOO-duh-liz-uhm
/ˈfjuː.də.lɪ.zəm/
A social, economic, and political system based on land grants exchanged for military service and agricultural labor.
Refers to the entire social hierarchy structuring relations between lords, vassals, and unfree peasants.
The story behind the word. Derived from Medieval Latin 'feodum' (estate held in trust), originating from a Germanic word related to Frankish 'fihu' (cattle/property).
Word relationships
- manorialism: Manorialism focuses specifically on economic farm management, while feudalism encompasses military and political organization.
- capitalism: Capitalism rests on wage labor and private capital, whereas feudalism relies on land tenure duties.
Commonly confused with
- feudal: Feudal is an adjective, whereas feudalism is the full noun describing the systemic structure.
Word family
- feudal (adjective): Relating to or characteristic of feudalism.
Collocations
- medieval feudalism
- decline of feudalism
- feudalism system
- feudalism hierarchy
Example sentences
- "Under medieval feudalism, rights over land were tightly linked to reciprocal duties of service and protection." Medieval European history
- "Historians debate whether Tokugawa Japan exhibited a true structural form of feudalism similar to medieval Europe." Comparative political science
Memory hook
Feudalism = 'Fee' for land. Lords gave land as a fee for military duty. Feodum = fief = feudalism.
When not to use
Do not use loosely for any strict hierarchy; keep it centered on land-tenure social systems.
Fun facts
- The term feudalism was actually coined long after the Middle Ages ended, popularised by Enlightenment scholars.
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