Rodrguez, Mara Victoria Culture I Group C/D Feudalism in England According to Lipson, the feudal system is the social

and political domination of a military and land-owning aristocracy. It was first introduced in England by the Anglo-Saxons, but, afterwards, it developed other characteristics in Norman times. Therefore, during these two periods in the British history, this concept involved certain distinctive social and political aspects. When the Anglo-Saxons arrived and settled in England (6th century), their social and political organisation, tribalism, was already giving way to feudalism. The former was based on family ties, whereas the latter involved an individual relationship between the lords (previously, the tribal chiefs) and their followers, who received protection from their lords. Whenever these two principles clashed, what prevailed was loyalty to one's lord. In this period, feudalism was, therefore, social, and there was not a clear differentiation of social classes. The churls constituted the lower middle classes, and, moreover, social mobility was possible for villeins due to manumission. The territorial organisation was the open-field system, which involved no fencing of the lands and the fact that all the arable land and the tools belonged to the whole community. Every member had the right to a strip of land, and, as a corporate society, everybody worked to till the soil. Nevertheless, feudalism in England was improved by the Normans (after Hastings, 1066). It became a territorial system, that is to say, a system of land-tenure in exchange for services rendered. In the Middle Ages, feudalism was not only an economic system, but also a political, social and legal system. The king granted lands to the tenants-in-chief (barons), who had to pay military services; in turn, tenants-in-chief granted lands to the mesne tenants (knights), who had to pay military services as well. Villeins, who were bound to the land, were given a hut and protection by their lords (the King, barons or knights) for working the soil. This meant that there was a clear differentiation of social classes, no social mobility and man-to-man relationships. In conclusion, even though feudalism in Anglo-Saxon times and Norman times shared some characteristics the corporate structure of society, little sense of individualism, weak sense of nationalism, among others there were profound differences. In Anglo-Saxon times, feudalism was social, whereas in Norman times, it became territorial.