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.