POLS 2940 Lecture Notes - Protection Racket, Protestantism, Peace Of Westphalia
6 Dec 2013
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Document Summary
Feudalism- characterized by a series of overlapping personal ties. Individuals pledge loyalty to nobles of various ranks. Those nobles would pledge loyalty to higher ranked nobles. Initially kings were just lords with a lot of land and nobles pledged to them. And the claim to kingship is an individual claim. If local lords and nobles accepted it, you are king. Lords and kings did not necessarily hold contiguous lands. Many times the land the king owned was in the middle of another person"s land (had to cross other peoples land). Holy roman emperor was the hand of the pope. The roman church was organized parallel to nobility. Many people thought they were popes at the same times! Loosly organized, not very permanent, a lot of competition for your loyalty. You could live on a lords manor and never see him. Military force is controlled by nobles who have men pledged to them.
