What weakness emerged as a result of the feudal structure in medieval europe?
– The political and social system found in Europe in the first two or three centuries of the last millennium: the king owned all the land; he allowed subordinates to have it in exchange for military support; they in turn let some of it to their subordinates on the same terms. It implied a social hierarchy. In England it went: King, Dukes, Earls, Barons, Knights, Esquires. Each piece of land and the peasants on it were supposed to support a knight (armored horse soldier). This system broke down in most western countries when trade revived and military technology (gunpowder) made the knight obsolete. The rise of the towns and free merchants with the revival of trade also weakened the self-sufficiency which had made feudalism necessary. There are many different views on how feudalism affected the “Middle Ages”. Some people believe it was genius while others think it was a disaster. There is only one thing that is truly certain about feudalism and that is that it had political, social and
