Feudalism in the Colonial Past

Medieval feudal society was controlled by the King's supreme authority, maintained by taking a trip justices who enforced royal justice and gathered taxes and levies.

With time, the barons became significantly alienated by a system that focused power in the hands of the king, leaving them with little say in governance. Their frustration reached new heights throughout King John's reign, as his arbitrary decisions and failed military endeavors worsened their grievances. This growing discontent eventually resulted in the Magna Carta of 1215. This file sought to cut the King's power and affirm the rights of the barons.


Feudalism in the Colonies: When European settlers gotten here in the Caribbean, they brought with them their customized and faith and the feudal ideas of landownership and hierarchy. In British Colonies like Barbados, the plantation economy looked like a feudal estate, with rich landowners on top and a stiff social hierarchy underneath them. These plantation owners wielded considerable power, controlling big tracts of land and the labor of enslaved Africans who worked under harsh conditions.

Although the Caribbean's social and economic realities varied from those of medieval Europe, the underlying principles of land-based power and hierarchical control were similar. Over time, this transplanted system adjusted to the local context, creating an unique colonial society that reflected European impacts and the harsh realities of life in the Caribbean. Find out more about how the decrease of feudalism paralleled completion of slavery in the Caribbean.




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