feudalization
Lords gaining power
Feudalization is the process of organizing society along feudal lines—a system where land ownership creates hierarchies of obligation between lords and vassals.
The term appears in historical analysis of medieval Europe and similar arrangements elsewhere: the feudalization of Japan under the shogunate.
It can also describe any shift toward rigid hierarchies based on property or patronage: Critics warned of the feudalization of the tech industry under a few dominant platforms.
Pledged devotion to authority
- homageExpression of deep respect
- allegianceLoyalty owed to authority
- oathFormal binding promise
- liegeFeudal superior or subject
suzerainty · fidelity · obligation · service · loyalty · bondage · subservience · dependence
Feudal landowning noble
- overlordSupreme feudal superior
- dominionAuthority to rule
- suzerainLord over vassals
- baronLow-ranking peer
count · duke · marquis · thane · fiefdom · patronage · sovereignty · tithe
Medieval estate labor system
- chivalryKnightly code of honor
- castleFortified medieval residence
- guildsCraftsmen's mutual aid societies
- monarchyRule by crowned sovereign
crusades · blacksmith · jousting · tournaments · minstrel · cathedral · tapestry · serf
Division into distinct levels
- subjugationForcing into submission
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
- subordinationLower position in hierarchy
caste · class · rank · status · gradation · echelons · peasantry · nobility
fealty
Pledged devotion to authority
- homageExpression of deep respect
- allegianceLoyalty owed to authority
- oathFormal binding promise
liege · suzerainty · fidelity · obligation · service · loyalty · bondage · subservience · dependence · investiture
seigneur
Feudal landowning noble
baron · count · duke · marquis · thane · fiefdom · patronage · sovereignty · tithe · castellan
manorialism
Medieval estate labor system
- chivalryKnightly code of honor
- castleFortified medieval residence
- guildsCraftsmen's mutual aid societies
monarchy · crusades · blacksmith · jousting · tournaments · minstrel · cathedral · tapestry · serf · vassal
stratification
Division into distinct levels
- subjugationForcing into submission
- inequalityUnequal distribution of resources
- dominanceSuperior influence over others
subordination · caste · class · rank · status · gradation · echelons · peasantry · nobility · gentry
nobility
Titled ruling class
peerage · gentry · patrician · knighthood · courtier · heraldry · lineage · dynasty · marquis · dame
manor
Landed aristocratic residence
freehold · tenancy · enclosure · cultivation · allotment · agrarian · croft · inheritance · usufruct · landholder
feudalizationcentralization
Unifying control in one place
absolutism · unification · bureaucratization · nation-building
feudalizationmodernization
Adoption of current methods
rationalization · democratization · liberalization · state-building · nation-building
feudalizationindustrialization
Transition to factory-based economy
commercialization · marketization · commodification · urbanization · capitalization
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