New
New
Year 7

The decline of the feudal system

I can describe different historical interpretations relating to the decline of the feudal system.

New
New
Year 7

The decline of the feudal system

I can describe different historical interpretations relating to the decline of the feudal system.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Peasants were a social group with no wealth or property rights under the feudal system.
  2. The feudal system was showing signs of weakness before 1348.
  3. Some historians argue lords reimposed feudalism after 1351.
  4. Some historians argue lords were incapable of reimposing feudalism after 1351.

Keywords

  • Feudal system - the system of landholding introduced by William the Conqueror

  • Tenant - a person who occupies or looks after property owned by another

Common misconception

Medieval people called their social system 'the feudal system'.

In fact, the term feudal system or feudalism did not start to be used until the 17th century.

Encourage pupils to use the names of the historians introduced in this lesson when discussing different viewpoints on the decline of feudalism.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What 'ism' is another term for the feudal system?
Correct Answer: feudalism
Q2.
Which is the best definition for a labourer?
a person doing skilled work for wages
Correct answer: a person doing unskilled work for wages
a person who works in return for land to farm
a person who rents land for money
Q3.
Which king issued the Ordinance of Labourers in 1349?
King Edward I
King Edward II
Correct answer: King Edward III
King Edward IV
King Edward V
Q4.
The Ordinance of Labourers was followed in 1351 by the of Labourers.
Correct Answer: Statute
Q5.
Which of these terms best describes the process of obtaining something by discussion?
argument
disagreement
Correct answer: negotiation
order
revolt
Q6.
Which of these aspects is something that the Statute of Labourers told labourers they must do?
They must go back to their old lords if they had left them.
They must not negotiate new jobs.
They must not negotiate to gain more land.
Correct answer: They must follow rules about payments if they negotiate a new job.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which king introduced what became known as the feudal system to England?
Edward the Confessor
Correct answer: William I
William II
Henry I
Stephen
Q2.
In the feudal system, all land was 'borrowed' from the , and those who borrowed it became his vassals by paying homage for the land.
Correct Answer: king, monarch, ruler
Q3.
When do historians agree the feudal system ended in England?
Sometime in the 11th-12th centuries
Sometime in the 12th-13th centuries
Sometime in the 13th-14th centuries
Correct answer: Sometime in the 14th-15th centuries
Q4.
Which of the following could be used to support the argument that lords tried to strengthen the feudal system after 1348?
A decline in fines issued by lords against peasants
Correct answer: An increase in fines for peasants wishing to move away
Correct answer: Peasants who escaped being forcibly returned
Correct answer: Peasants forced to pay fines when they married
Q5.
Rodney Hilton's work argues that lords did everything they could to prevent 'their' from negotiating better wages and more freedoms.
Correct Answer: peasants, labourers, workers, vassals
Q6.
Which historian is associated with research in East Anglia that suggests the Black Death accelerated the decline of feudalism?
Correct answer: Mark Bailey
Rodney Hilton

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