Bastard feudalism
Encyclopedia
Bastard feudalism is a term that has been used to describe feudalism
in the Late Middle Ages
, primarily in England
. Its main characteristic is military, political, legal, or domestic service in return for money, office, and/or influence. The gentry began to think of themselves as the men of their lord rather than of the king; individually they are known as the "retainers", and collectively as the "affinity" of the lord, among other terms.
in 1885. Plummer blamed bastard feudalism for the disorder and instability of the Wars of the Roses
in the fifteenth century. However, Bastard feudalism is primarily associated with his contemporary William Stubbs
. According to Stubbs, a shift in English history took place under Edward I
when the feudal levy was replaced with royal payment in return for military service by the great magnates who willingly served the king. Thus, instead of vassal
s rendering military service when required by the lord, they paid a portion of their income into the lord's treasury. In turn the lord would supplement the owed military service with hired retainers, a sort of private army in full time service to the lord.
A strong challenge to the ideas of Stubbs was presented by K. B. McFarlane
in the 1940s. McFarlane stripped the term of any negative connotation. To him, what was central to bastard feudalism was not the financial aspect (the sums involved were mostly negligible) but the concept of service in exchange for good favour. In a society governed on a personal basis, service to a lord was the best way to obtain favour in the form of offices, grants, etc. Lords would retain administrators and lawyers, as well as local gentry
, into their affinities
. By offering money instead of land, lords could afford to retain more followers.
In return for becoming retainers, the gentry would expect to rely on his lord's influence in local and national politics. This practice was known as maintenance. The retainer might wear his lord's livery badge or the grander form, a livery collar
, which could be very useful in a courtroom. Under a weak king, such as Henry VI, the rivalries of magnates might spill over from the courtroom to armed confrontations, thereby perverting justice.
Since the crown and the nobility essentially had the same interests at heart, military commissioning of great magnates was not in itself disruptive to society. The civil wars of the 15th century were caused by personal factors (particularly the failings of Henry VI
), not by institutional ones. Recent historical research has shown that payment for military service goes back much further than the reign of Edward I, further discrediting the ideas of Stubbs.
Among today's historians, the concept of feudalism
is considered problematic, bastard feudalism no less so. The term is therefore used only with caution, although it is not a dead concept. Most historians today would view it as a neutral social system that was open to abuse. Provided that a king was able to control the lords, bastard feudalism could provide a stable way of organising local society. Two points are worth bearing in mind in relation to the Wars of the Roses: a) elements of what is considered bastard feudalism can be identified as early as the beginning of the thirteenth century; b) a weak king was more likely to be vulnerable to magnates made over-mighty by "bastard feudalism".
Because they were rarely kept under arms for long periods, noble retinues were not private armies. Lacking standing armies, kings relied on noble retinues for the military forces they required to conduct wars or crush internal rebellions. Under an inadequate king like Henry VI, ambitious or disaffected magnates like Richard Duke of York
or Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
could use their network of servants and retainers to defy or even control the crown. Groups of gentry already coming to blows over local issues, inevitably attached themselves to different patrons. Their private feuds were continued under their leaders' banners and transferred to the battlefields of the Wars of the Roses
.
Although Edward IV attempted to limit "retaining", he was largely unsuccessful. However, Henry VII
managed to largely overcome bastard feudalism by imposing financial sanctions on unruly nobles. Furthermore, Henry passed a statute in 1504 that only allowed the King to have retainers - nobles had to apply and pay for a licence. Overall, bastard feudalism had mostly disappeared by the end of Henry VII's reign.
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
in the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
, primarily in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Its main characteristic is military, political, legal, or domestic service in return for money, office, and/or influence. The gentry began to think of themselves as the men of their lord rather than of the king; individually they are known as the "retainers", and collectively as the "affinity" of the lord, among other terms.
History
The term was coined by the historian Charles PlummerCharles Plummer
Charles Plummer was an English historian, best known for editing Sir John Fortescue's The Governance of England, and for coining the term 'bastard feudalism'....
in 1885. Plummer blamed bastard feudalism for the disorder and instability of the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
in the fifteenth century. However, Bastard feudalism is primarily associated with his contemporary William Stubbs
William Stubbs
William Stubbs was an English historian and Bishop of Oxford.The son of William Morley Stubbs, a solicitor, he was born at Knaresborough, Yorkshire, and was educated at Ripon Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated in 1848, obtaining a first-class in classics and a third in...
. According to Stubbs, a shift in English history took place under Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
when the feudal levy was replaced with royal payment in return for military service by the great magnates who willingly served the king. Thus, instead of vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
s rendering military service when required by the lord, they paid a portion of their income into the lord's treasury. In turn the lord would supplement the owed military service with hired retainers, a sort of private army in full time service to the lord.
A strong challenge to the ideas of Stubbs was presented by K. B. McFarlane
K. B. McFarlane
Kenneth Bruce McFarlane was one of the 20th century's most influential historians of late medieval England. He was born on 18 October 1903 and was the only child of A. McFarlane, OBE. His father was a civil servant in the Admiralty and the young McFarlane's childhood was an unhappy one. This may...
in the 1940s. McFarlane stripped the term of any negative connotation. To him, what was central to bastard feudalism was not the financial aspect (the sums involved were mostly negligible) but the concept of service in exchange for good favour. In a society governed on a personal basis, service to a lord was the best way to obtain favour in the form of offices, grants, etc. Lords would retain administrators and lawyers, as well as local gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
, into their affinities
Affinities
Affinities under bastard feudalism were collectives of gentry who follow and support a particular nobleman. Gentry members of affinities gave loyalty to their nobleman above loyalty to the king. Affinities were an integral part of the organization of society in England and Wales during the 15th...
. By offering money instead of land, lords could afford to retain more followers.
In return for becoming retainers, the gentry would expect to rely on his lord's influence in local and national politics. This practice was known as maintenance. The retainer might wear his lord's livery badge or the grander form, a livery collar
Livery collar
A livery collar or chain of office is a collar or heavy chain, usually of gold, worn as insignia of office or a mark of fealty or other association in Europe from the Middle Ages onwards....
, which could be very useful in a courtroom. Under a weak king, such as Henry VI, the rivalries of magnates might spill over from the courtroom to armed confrontations, thereby perverting justice.
Since the crown and the nobility essentially had the same interests at heart, military commissioning of great magnates was not in itself disruptive to society. The civil wars of the 15th century were caused by personal factors (particularly the failings of Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
), not by institutional ones. Recent historical research has shown that payment for military service goes back much further than the reign of Edward I, further discrediting the ideas of Stubbs.
Among today's historians, the concept of feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
is considered problematic, bastard feudalism no less so. The term is therefore used only with caution, although it is not a dead concept. Most historians today would view it as a neutral social system that was open to abuse. Provided that a king was able to control the lords, bastard feudalism could provide a stable way of organising local society. Two points are worth bearing in mind in relation to the Wars of the Roses: a) elements of what is considered bastard feudalism can be identified as early as the beginning of the thirteenth century; b) a weak king was more likely to be vulnerable to magnates made over-mighty by "bastard feudalism".
Because they were rarely kept under arms for long periods, noble retinues were not private armies. Lacking standing armies, kings relied on noble retinues for the military forces they required to conduct wars or crush internal rebellions. Under an inadequate king like Henry VI, ambitious or disaffected magnates like Richard Duke of York
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
or Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
could use their network of servants and retainers to defy or even control the crown. Groups of gentry already coming to blows over local issues, inevitably attached themselves to different patrons. Their private feuds were continued under their leaders' banners and transferred to the battlefields of the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
.
Although Edward IV attempted to limit "retaining", he was largely unsuccessful. However, Henry VII
Henry VII
Henry VII may refer to:* Henry VII, Duke of Bavaria * Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor * Henry VII of England * Henry II of Sicily sometimes described as Henry of Germany...
managed to largely overcome bastard feudalism by imposing financial sanctions on unruly nobles. Furthermore, Henry passed a statute in 1504 that only allowed the King to have retainers - nobles had to apply and pay for a licence. Overall, bastard feudalism had mostly disappeared by the end of Henry VII's reign.