Middle+Ages+Law+an+Politics

the midlle ages is often seen as a time in which the kings and queens made the rules that were followed by everyone all the time. in reality, this was only half-true. many of the laws of the time were actually those that been set in place long before this time period. The kings and queens, however, did have some influence on the law.

Follow the links below to certain sections of this page or scroll through to view page. Law Politics Political System-Feudal System

=Law= The laws in the Middle Ages were based on those that were set in place well before the Middle Ages began.These laws were considered absolute, and always had been, so therefore the mentality of the time was that it was not to be messed with. These laws were based on the actions of the people that were fundimentally considered acceptable, and the ones that weren't. these laws outlined the actions what people were supposed to follow, as compared to what they were doing that was considered illegal. these laws were absolute, and any violations of these laws could be punished with death. these laws weren't questioned in terms of being fair or unjust, for they were so common and well accepted; they just were. Any government that was created was to protect these laws. This form of government consited of the heirarchy of the time (see the Feudalisim Political System section) and these rules were enforced primarily by those of the towns, but they were enforced at every level of the government.

=Middle Age Politics=

during the middle Ages, the main form of a government was a monarchy. the kings or queens led by right, claiming their rule through their bloodline and their respective religious leader putting them in charge. the power of these leaders was usually absolute; the peasents and middle class were to do as they said. however, the monarchs did have to appease the other major forces of the time: the church and the nobles. the nobles and the church leaders often held audience with the monarch to discuss and vote upon certain matters. however, not every ruler did the same thing, and neither did the nobles. some rulers led reforms, like Queen Margaret of the Scandanavian Kingdom, who united Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, and ruled over them for quite a long time. she had set up a provencial sheriff system, each of which she had watch over their respective countries. Unlike many other rulers, she sided with the nobles to obtain Sweden, and worked with them, whereas the others mostly worked with them, but didn't nesssisarily respect them. the nobles also respected her.

The nobles of the time didn't completely follow their kings, or at least not completely. The Nobles, who believed that the rules the king made were inferior to the laws that had always been, so they inherantly didn't follow all of them. they saw the laws their rulers made as short-term and quick fixes, so not all of the laws the kings made needed to be followed however, they did follow the laws they deemed worthy. However, the nobles were also quick to oppose their rulers. in sweden, for example, the nobles led a revolt against their king, and it led to his demise as a ruler soon after.

The church also had a large impact in the politics of the time. in the Middle Ages, the church was at the peak of its power. when things like the bubonic plague wreaked its havoc on Europe, it was thought of as the wrath of God and many people turned to the church. the church was well known as the universal unifying group of the time. Even from a young age, the peole were taught to worship God and follow the church. The church levied heavy taxes on the people. At this point of time, people were more concerned with where they would go after their death than most other things, which gave the church tremendous power. the pope, the head of the church, had a strong impact on the large countries of the time such as Britian and others. The Crusades were church based attacks on those who didn't belive in the same things the church did, primarily Muslims. These crusades were forced upon the countries, who obliged, which shows just how much influence they had on the kingdoms.

= Political Systems-Feudal System= The Feudal System was a political system in which the lords, or nobles, granted the vassels, most commonly knights, their own fief, or piece of land, in exchange for protection. the system usually took place in the noble's castle, in which the peasents were granted protection in exchange for loyalty and taxes, and the vassels provided that protection by holding the walls. depending on the level of the vassel, the size of the fief varied. this system was not limited to lords; Abbots, Bishops, adn even the king also had vassels who the gave land to. however, with the king, the aristocrats were his vassels, and they provided service or money in return. The system was meant as a way to provide income and prtoection for the lords, and also to proide land and income for the knights of the time.