Monarch
By Jonathan Gomez
Responsibilities in the Feudal System
- The monarch made all the decisions necessary such as how much tax the people should pay, which country they went to war with etc.
- The monarch was responsible for everything that went on in the country, he and no other.
- He could dispense favors, plus titles, property, and other advantages, in return for the service his subordinate lords and knights gave him.
- He rubbed shoulders with the Church, but the Church really didn't have any say in how the King ruled, they were mre concerned with the King's soul.
The King and Church are at the top of the pyramid, the nobles/knights are in the second stage, they are followed by the artisans, then shop/inn keepers, the remaining population are the peasants.
Restrictions/ Benefits
- The King essentially owned the entire nation, granting land to his various nobles in return for oaths of loyalty and service, they in turn did the same with the lower ranks, all the way down do serfs
- Sole control of the Nation's religious and political stances was the King's right, as granted to him through his blood line.
- The King controlled vast sums of money collected in taxes annually.
- The King lived in the palace, that alone was a major boon to his job, as it was outfitted with vast reserves of luxuries of all kinds.
Daily Life
- The King was in complete control under the Feudal System.
- He owned all the land in the country and decided who he would lease land to.
- He therefore only allowed those men he could trust to lease land from him.
- However, before they were given any land they had to swear an oath to remain faithful to the King at all times.
- The men who leased land from the King were known as Barons, they were wealthy, powerful and had complete control of the land they leased from the King.