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ECO/SNY 128 Spring 2015
Lecture 2The Feudal Europe and its Collapse
M. Aykut Attar
The Roman Rule: Unification and Collapse
Until around 450 AD, it was the Roman rule thatunited the Mediterranean basin and most of the Europe for overfive centuries.
United with what?government
lawmarket
Collapse?political corruption and inefficiency
economic declineforeign invasion
The Roman Rule: Unification and Collapse
Until around 450 AD, it was the Roman rule thatunited the Mediterranean basin and most of the Europe for overfive centuries.
United with what?government
lawmarket
Collapse?political corruption and inefficiency
economic declineforeign invasion
The Roman Rule: Unification and Collapse
Until around 450 AD, it was the Roman rule thatunited the Mediterranean basin and most of the Europe for overfive centuries.
United with what?government
lawmarket
Collapse?political corruption and inefficiency
economic declineforeign invasion
The Roman Empire in 460 AD
The Middle Ages: 450 AD to 1450 AD
No Roman law & administration → Everybodyneeds protection
Diseases & armed conflict in urban areas
Moving to countryside; some cities transforminginto smaller towns and some towns transforminginto smaller villages
No slavery with the collapse of Rome, but only afew peasants own land.
Those working in agriculture need protectionfrom local strongman and their warriors.In return: Giving them the half of what theyproduce.
The Middle Ages: 450 AD to 1450 AD
No Roman law & administration → Everybodyneeds protection
Diseases & armed conflict in urban areas
Moving to countryside; some cities transforminginto smaller towns and some towns transforminginto smaller villages
No slavery with the collapse of Rome, but only afew peasants own land.
Those working in agriculture need protectionfrom local strongman and their warriors.In return: Giving them the half of what theyproduce.
The Middle Ages: 450 AD to 1450 AD
No Roman law & administration → Everybodyneeds protection
Diseases & armed conflict in urban areas
Moving to countryside; some cities transforminginto smaller towns and some towns transforminginto smaller villages
No slavery with the collapse of Rome, but only afew peasants own land.
Those working in agriculture need protectionfrom local strongman and their warriors.In return: Giving them the half of what theyproduce.
The Middle Ages: 450 AD to 1450 AD
No Roman law & administration → Everybodyneeds protection
Diseases & armed conflict in urban areas
Moving to countryside; some cities transforminginto smaller towns and some towns transforminginto smaller villages
No slavery with the collapse of Rome, but only afew peasants own land.
Those working in agriculture need protectionfrom local strongman and their warriors.In return: Giving them the half of what theyproduce.
The Middle Ages: 450 AD to 1450 AD
No Roman law & administration → Everybodyneeds protection
Diseases & armed conflict in urban areas
Moving to countryside; some cities transforminginto smaller towns and some towns transforminginto smaller villages
No slavery with the collapse of Rome, but only afew peasants own land.
Those working in agriculture need protectionfrom local strongman and their warriors.In return: Giving them the half of what theyproduce.
Feudalism (or the Feudal System)
Source: Sean Lang, British History for Dummies.
Feudalism ...
... a political system where Europe is fragmented into hundreds ofsmall fiefdoms:
Local strongmen to lords
Their warriors to knights
Their peasants to serfs
Few lords remaining completely independentMost allied with others under the distant authority of thegreatest lord, i.e., the King.
◮ No nations under feudalismIdentity is tied to the village
◮ Modern European languages not existing, dialects so manyand so hard to understandLatin is the official language of priests, scholars, merchantsand diplomats.
Feudalism ...
... a political system where Europe is fragmented into hundreds ofsmall fiefdoms:
Local strongmen to lords
Their warriors to knights
Their peasants to serfs
Few lords remaining completely independentMost allied with others under the distant authority of thegreatest lord, i.e., the King.
◮ No nations under feudalismIdentity is tied to the village
◮ Modern European languages not existing, dialects so manyand so hard to understandLatin is the official language of priests, scholars, merchantsand diplomats.
Feudalism ...
... a political system where Europe is fragmented into hundreds ofsmall fiefdoms:
Local strongmen to lords
Their warriors to knights
Their peasants to serfs
Few lords remaining completely independentMost allied with others under the distant authority of thegreatest lord, i.e., the King.
◮ No nations under feudalismIdentity is tied to the village
◮ Modern European languages not existing, dialects so manyand so hard to understandLatin is the official language of priests, scholars, merchantsand diplomats.
Five interdependent classes
◮ Clergy
◮ Nobles
◮ Serfs
◮ Artisans
◮ Merchants
Low social mobility among classes
◮ Primogeniture
◮ Guilds
◮ Clergy was the most open class
◮ Serfs were many (80%-90% of population)
◮ Artisan and merchant classes were very small
◮ Most kings were weak under feudalism (only controlling theland around their castles)
Five interdependent classes
◮ Clergy
◮ Nobles
◮ Serfs
◮ Artisans
◮ Merchants
Low social mobility among classes
◮ Primogeniture
◮ Guilds
◮ Clergy was the most open class
◮ Serfs were many (80%-90% of population)
◮ Artisan and merchant classes were very small
◮ Most kings were weak under feudalism (only controlling theland around their castles)
Five interdependent classes
◮ Clergy
◮ Nobles
◮ Serfs
◮ Artisans
◮ Merchants
Low social mobility among classes
◮ Primogeniture
◮ Guilds
◮ Clergy was the most open class
◮ Serfs were many (80%-90% of population)
◮ Artisan and merchant classes were very small
◮ Most kings were weak under feudalism (only controlling theland around their castles)
Christianity
What is the thing that unites the culture?Christianity
◮ Catholic majority across western and central Europe
◮ Orthodox minority across southeastern Europe and Russia
The Pope
◮ The spiritual leader in the west was the Catholic pope
◮ Only the pope residing at Rome had sovereignty.
◮ The kings remained sovereign only by being Catholic andruling their people and land according to the Catholic belief.
Christianity
What is the thing that unites the culture?Christianity
◮ Catholic majority across western and central Europe
◮ Orthodox minority across southeastern Europe and Russia
The Pope
◮ The spiritual leader in the west was the Catholic pope
◮ Only the pope residing at Rome had sovereignty.
◮ The kings remained sovereign only by being Catholic andruling their people and land according to the Catholic belief.
Religion and Politics
“Faced with being condemned to an eternity in hell, more than onemedieval king found himself crawling literally on his hands andknees to the pope to beg forgiveness.”
Economic Stagnation, Stability and Collapse
◮ Just Price (P > MC Prohibited!)No Profit Motive
◮ No Interest (Lending Money to Others Prohibited!)Credit Constraints
◮ The result is very slowly expanding trade and prolongedeconomic stagnation.
The feudal system, however, is extremely stable!
◮ Agricultural societiesLarge masses of people are landless commonersDependence to land and, thus, to the landlord
◮ Markets are small and mostly isolated
◮ Political power fragmented in a balanced way
◮ A very strong, organized religion oppressing people
Why collapse, then?
Economic Stagnation, Stability and Collapse
◮ Just Price (P > MC Prohibited!)No Profit Motive
◮ No Interest (Lending Money to Others Prohibited!)Credit Constraints
◮ The result is very slowly expanding trade and prolongedeconomic stagnation.
The feudal system, however, is extremely stable!
◮ Agricultural societiesLarge masses of people are landless commonersDependence to land and, thus, to the landlord
◮ Markets are small and mostly isolated
◮ Political power fragmented in a balanced way
◮ A very strong, organized religion oppressing people
Why collapse, then?
Economic Stagnation, Stability and Collapse
◮ Just Price (P > MC Prohibited!)No Profit Motive
◮ No Interest (Lending Money to Others Prohibited!)Credit Constraints
◮ The result is very slowly expanding trade and prolongedeconomic stagnation.
The feudal system, however, is extremely stable!
◮ Agricultural societiesLarge masses of people are landless commonersDependence to land and, thus, to the landlord
◮ Markets are small and mostly isolated
◮ Political power fragmented in a balanced way
◮ A very strong, organized religion oppressing people
Why collapse, then?
The Reasons behind the Collapse of the Feudal System
Crusades
◮ Economic effects
◮ Intellectual effects
Economic Advances
◮ Expansion in trade (however slow) bridging the economiccenters
◮ Double-Entry Bookkeeping
◮ The Rises of Money & Credit for Trade
◮ Supply & Demand IN, Guilds’ Control OUT
◮ Trade & Urbanization
Legal Advances
◮ Law & Order IN, Status & Privilege OUT
The Reasons behind the Collapse of the Feudal System
Crusades
◮ Economic effects
◮ Intellectual effects
Economic Advances
◮ Expansion in trade (however slow) bridging the economiccenters
◮ Double-Entry Bookkeeping
◮ The Rises of Money & Credit for Trade
◮ Supply & Demand IN, Guilds’ Control OUT
◮ Trade & Urbanization
Legal Advances
◮ Law & Order IN, Status & Privilege OUT
The Reasons behind the Collapse of the Feudal System
Crusades
◮ Economic effects
◮ Intellectual effects
Economic Advances
◮ Expansion in trade (however slow) bridging the economiccenters
◮ Double-Entry Bookkeeping
◮ The Rises of Money & Credit for Trade
◮ Supply & Demand IN, Guilds’ Control OUT
◮ Trade & Urbanization
Legal Advances
◮ Law & Order IN, Status & Privilege OUT
But the real reason is an intellectual one:
Printing Press
◮ Fast diffusion of “heretic” ideas
◮ From God-centered universe to Human-centered universe
◮ Knowledge & learning becoming available toanyone able to read
Renaissance
◮ Rebirth of reason over faith as the guide forunderstanding the world
◮ Fueled with the flood of merchants, artists and intellectualsleaving Istanbul after 1453
But the real reason is an intellectual one:
Printing Press
◮ Fast diffusion of “heretic” ideas
◮ From God-centered universe to Human-centered universe
◮ Knowledge & learning becoming available toanyone able to read
Renaissance
◮ Rebirth of reason over faith as the guide forunderstanding the world
◮ Fueled with the flood of merchants, artists and intellectualsleaving Istanbul after 1453
But the real reason is an intellectual one:
Printing Press
◮ Fast diffusion of “heretic” ideas
◮ From God-centered universe to Human-centered universe
◮ Knowledge & learning becoming available toanyone able to read
Renaissance
◮ Rebirth of reason over faith as the guide forunderstanding the world
◮ Fueled with the flood of merchants, artists and intellectualsleaving Istanbul after 1453
But the real reason is an intellectual one:
Printing Press
◮ Fast diffusion of “heretic” ideas
◮ From God-centered universe to Human-centered universe
◮ Knowledge & learning becoming available toanyone able to read
Renaissance
◮ Rebirth of reason over faith as the guide forunderstanding the world
◮ Fueled with the flood of merchants, artists and intellectualsleaving Istanbul after 1453
Individuals getting free to fulfill their creative and economicpotential!
For the Next Week
READ [required] William Nester’s Chapter
4: “Global Imperialisms First Wave”
WATCH [optional] Jared Diamond’s “Guns,
Germs, & Steel” Episode 2 [Conquest] on
YouTube.
Recommended