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CHAPTER FEUDALISM
1 FEUDALISM 1 In feudalism, powerful lords would provide land to
peasants and offer protection in the event of attack. In
he Middle Ages, also called the medieval exchange, the peasants, called vassals, would turn over
(mehd-evil) period, began when the Roman to the lords a portion of what they grew on the land.
Empire lost power in Europe, in 476, and lasted 2 When a lord granted land to a vassal, there was a
until about 1450, a period of almost 1,000 years. ceremony to make it official. Instead of a lease, the
tenant was given a symbolic clod of dirt, called a seisin.
The end of the Roman power in the West led
to a chaotic period in Europe, in which 3 In some parts of Europe, individual
towns that grew rich from trade built
roaming bands of barbarians
impressive buildings to showcase
terrorized the countryside. their wealth. An Italian town
To protect against this, a called Pisa built the famous
new system of governance Leaning Tower in 1173.
called feudalism arose. Although it seems like,
with all that money,
they could have
fixed the tower!
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