(2) Describe feudalism and manorialism.
Feudalism was a decentralized social and political structure based on the exchange of land for military service and loyalty. At the top there was the king, who technically owned all the land. He granted large estates, called fiefs, to high-ranking nobles. Nobles further divided their land among knights, who served as the professional military class.
Manorialism described how the land was actually worked. The system centered on the Manor, a self-sufficient estate owned by a lord. The majority of the population were serfs, peasants who were legally bound to the land. Unlike slaves, they could not be sold away from the land, but they could not leave without the lord’s permission.
(3) What changes did William the Conqueror introduce in England?
William the Conqueror transformed England. His reign marked the end of Anglo-Saxon rule and the beginning of a Norman-influenced state. William claimed all of England by right of conquest. He replaced the Anglo-Saxon nobility with Norman followers, ensuring that every landholder owed their loyalty directly to him. William commissioned a massive survey of the country’s resources. The Doomsday Book recorded who owned what land, how many people lived there, and what it was worth. This allowed William to tax the country efficiently and settle land disputes.
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