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Difficulty: Very hardCommunalism and Feudalism

Complete the following statement comparing socio-economic relationships in feudal systems of government:

Answer:In a feudal political system, land granted by a lord to a vassal in return for military service and fealty was known as a 【fief】, while the unfree peasant legally bound to the land and obligated to perform forced labor for the landlord was referred to as a 【serf】.

Answer

The terms that correctly complete the statement are 'fief' (or feud) for the granted land property and 'serf' (or villein) for the bound agricultural laborer.
In feudal political systems, political power and military obligations were linked directly to land tenure. A 'fief' was the land parcel conditional upon loyalty and military duty to the overlord, while a 'serf' represented the unfree peasantry tied to the land whose surplus product supported the ruling class.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key institutional land-grant mechanism in a feudal political hierarchy.
In feudal socio-political structure, the foundational unit of land held in exchange for political allegiance and military service is called a fief (or feud).
Feudal authority is derived from land ownership granted by superior lords to vassals.
2
Identify the socio-economic status of the unfree agrarian laborer in feudalism.
The unfree peasant attached to the lord's manor who cannot leave the land without permission is a serf (or villein).
Serfdom defines the labor exploitation model characteristic of feudal manorialism.

Key Concept

Structural relations in Feudalism (Fief, Lord, Vassal, and Serf labor obligations)
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Communalism and Feudalism

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