What was the role of a noble in the feudal system?
The feudal system evolved to maintain order in the post-Dark Ages, when Europe had been overrun by barbarians. Under the feudal system, everyone had a place. You were either a lord over other people, or a vassal of a lord. Most nobles were both: they held lands from their overlord, to whom they owed fealty, and the gave lands to their own vassals, who owed fealty to THEM. Nobles originally were responsible for defending a) their own lands and b) the king’s lands if called upon. They were a military caste. This security of military help was the primary reason the lord entered into the feudal relationship. In addition, the vassal sometimes had to fulfill other obligations to the lord. One of those obligations was to provide the lord with “counsel,” so that if the lord faced a major decision, such as whether or not to go to war, he would summon all his vassals and hold a council. The vassal may have been required to yield a certain amount of his farm’s output to his lord. The vassal was a
