A Feudal chart showing the hierarchy of the system.
The system of the Middle Ages was a little complicated. Here is a more in depth explanation of the roles of each person on the charts levels;
The Church and the Pope:
Though it is commonly believed that the King or Queen held the most power in the Middle Ages, this is not true. People in those times were very religious and it was the pope or the leader of the church who chose and crowned the new monarch.
The Monarch - King or Queen:
Even though the pope held the most power, the monarch still had absolute dictatorship of his/her lands. The monarch could be fair or cruel and could treat people drastically differently. Unlike nowadays, it was seen as the king's (the queens would not do this but princes would) duty to go to war with their at the head of their nation so a king had to be very clever with battle strategy and handy with a weapon. Unfortunately, not all kings were and when they lost, their enemies would do some quite horrific things to their people.
Vassals/Lords:
Vassals were people who had been entitled to land and lordship by the monarch. They were rich, well fed and often had their own guards for their mansions so they would be well protected as well.
Serfs:
Serfs were poor workers who worked and lived on the land of Vassals. They earn't little money and lived in poor conditions but what little wage they got was guaranteed. They would also get the protection of the land and a place to live, even if it was quite dirty.
Peasants:
These were the lowest of class in the Middle Ages. They were treated like scum and had to live in such bad conditions they would regularly get disease and suffer from famine. Most of them resorted to begging to get money or, if they were lucky, would work on farms and in stables.
Excerpt From: “Medieval Times - A Guide.” written by Ethan Farmer. This material may be subject to copyright.
Though it is commonly believed that the King or Queen held the most power in the Middle Ages, this is not true. People in those times were very religious and it was the pope or the leader of the church who chose and crowned the new monarch.
The Monarch - King or Queen:
Even though the pope held the most power, the monarch still had absolute dictatorship of his/her lands. The monarch could be fair or cruel and could treat people drastically differently. Unlike nowadays, it was seen as the king's (the queens would not do this but princes would) duty to go to war with their at the head of their nation so a king had to be very clever with battle strategy and handy with a weapon. Unfortunately, not all kings were and when they lost, their enemies would do some quite horrific things to their people.
Vassals/Lords:
Vassals were people who had been entitled to land and lordship by the monarch. They were rich, well fed and often had their own guards for their mansions so they would be well protected as well.
Serfs:
Serfs were poor workers who worked and lived on the land of Vassals. They earn't little money and lived in poor conditions but what little wage they got was guaranteed. They would also get the protection of the land and a place to live, even if it was quite dirty.
Peasants:
These were the lowest of class in the Middle Ages. They were treated like scum and had to live in such bad conditions they would regularly get disease and suffer from famine. Most of them resorted to begging to get money or, if they were lucky, would work on farms and in stables.
Excerpt From: “Medieval Times - A Guide.” written by Ethan Farmer. This material may be subject to copyright.