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Article: European Feudalism from its Emergence through its Decline.
- Article from:
- The American Journal of Economics and Sociology
- Article date:
- December 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Blackwell Publishers Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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KENNETH JUPP [*]
AFTER THE COLLAPSE of the Roman Empire, the outstanding feature of Europe was the feudal system. Thenceforward until the late Middle Ages, land paid virtually all the costs of government in England, and indeed throughout most of Europe. The following account focuses primarily on England as a particular case of a system that obtained quite generally, although, of course, details varied from country to country and also within countries. The land in use was overwhelmingly agricultural. Europe took refuge in a feudal system in the face of increasing barbarian invasion. In England, following the Norman Conquest in the eleventh century, the continental ...