good definition of feudalism in the middle ages

The seigneurial system came under attack throughout the 1700s. The status and trappings of the seigneur – the feudal dues, exclusive hunting rights, an individual pew in the local church and so on – were prestigious and highly sought after. While most seigneurs were nobles, this was not always the case. Many members of the clergy and wealthy bourgeoisie purchased seigneuries (feudal estates) in the 17th and early 18th centuries. The seigneur might also be the only party permitted to own male pigs or cattle, for which he charged a stud or breeding fee. In some regions, the seigneur owned the flour mill, the baker’s oven and the grape press – all critical infrastructure in a rural village – and demanded annual payments for their use ( banalités).

The seigneur could also demand the much-loathed corvée, which required each male peasant to provide several days of unpaid labour on the seigneur’s own projects, such as working his land or repairing his house, fences, bridges or roads. Where the system was strongest, the landowner could hold a seigneurial court within his estate and pass legal judgement on peasants who lived there there were over 70,000 of these courts in place, though they operated infrequently. Those who occupied and worked the seigneur’s land were subject to a range of feudal dues, including the champart (paid in grain or produce) and the cens (paid in cash).

The seigneur doled out sections of his estate in small plots to individuals or small groups. The workings of seigneurialism were inherently one-sided, with many benefits for the lord and few, if any, for peasants.

Good definition of feudalism in the middle ages