The first trait of civilization is creating and maintaining order in the country and regarding this maintenance of order and discipline, the concept of government came to the spotlight. From the very beginning of civilization, we can find governing bodies. These governing bodies can be of several types and they get distinguished based on their nature and organizing traits.
Feudalism vs Monarchy
The main difference between feudalism and monarchy is that feudalism is a government that is ruled by various political figures who hold different ranks under the system and monarchy is a government that includes one ruler as the leader of the government. Feudalism comes into existence from medieval Europe and monarchy is the oldest government system.
Feudalism was a dominant social system in medieval Europe. In this, the Nobel people used to grip lands and in exchange used to offer military service. The peasants were given the lowest rank in this system and they were forced to be mere slaves of the lords.
Monarchy has one leader as the head of the country. In most cases, this was an autocratic rule and many tyrannical rulers have exploited the lower class of the state. The class hierarchy was very prominent in this system. However, we also have examples of constitutional monarchy where elections used to be the method of selection.
Comparison Table Between Feudalism and Monarchy
| Parameters of Comparison | Feudalism | Monarchy |
| Definition | Feudalism is a type of government where people occupy different ranks to govern a country. | Monarchy is a type of government that is governed by a king or queen. |
| Etymology | The word feudalism got its origin in the Latin language. | This word got its origin in the Greek language. |
| Origin period | 16th century AD | 12th century AD. |
| Holder of power | In feudalism, the head of politics is called Lord. | The Head of politics is called Monarch. |
| Constitution | In feudalism, the constitution does not exist. | In a monarchy, the constitution has a place. |
What is Feudalism?
Another term for feudalism is the feudal system. This system was a governing body that combined legal, economical, military, as well as cultural customs. The system was at its peak between the 9th and 15th centuries in Medieval Europe. Under this governing body, the backbone of the society was based on the land and service or labour for it.
The rise of feudalism was due to the decentralization of the Carolingian Empire in the 8th century AD. The absence of bureaucratic infrastructure led to distributing land to the mounted soldiers. These soldiers started to secure a system where the rule over these lands was made to be hereditary.
Under this government, security was improved as the lords used to hold brave military forces. However, inequality prevailed in the society. Many countries adopted this regulating system at some point. In Asia, countries like Bangladesh, China, India, Tibet, Pakistan in Europe, places like Armenia, England, France, Portugal, Rome, Russia had this feudal system.
Although the feudal system could not enter Africa, North America and South America. Some of the popular leaders of this social system are King Henry II, King William and Kublai Khan.
What is Monarchy?
Monarchy is a governing system where only one person rules as the head of the country. The successor of the ruler used to be hereditary. Monarchy can be of various types depending on the rulers. It can be restricted or have a place for freedom. In a constitutional monarchy, the freedom of the citizens gets considered but in an autocratic or absolute monarchy, the ruler is an authoritarian figure.
In some instances, we can see elections used to get held for the selection of a new monarch of the monarchy. The opposite of monarchy is republicanism. However, on the bright side of the hereditary monarchy, we can notice how the citizens get immediate leadership without a void that might lead to the country’s hardship.
History also has instances that shows a self-proclaimed monarchy. Here the rule claims to be the head of a clan without having any historical connections to the prior empire. Historians believe a monarchy system has a simple process of the ruling. The law-making is simple as well and the King or the Queen always keep its military force strong.
However, a bad leader can destroy the nation. The ruler, being the only person in power, becomes the most significant person to influence the customs of the country. It was very common to brew rebellion under the lead of monarchy.
Main Differences Between Feudalism and Monarchy
- Feudalism was a dominant social system that found its place in medieval Europe and monarchy as a government is the oldest form.
- In feudalism, different people occupy different ranks and govern a country but in monarchy, a king or queen rules a country.
- The head in the feudal system is called Lord and the head of the monarchy is known as a Monarch.
- Feudalism got its origin in the 16th century AD and monarchy came before that in the 12th century AD.The word feudalism got its root in Latin and the monarch word found its origin in Greek.
- Constitution has no role to play in feudalism but on the contrary, in a monarchy constitution holds significance.
Conclusion
A system or governing body gets formed with the sole purpose of retaining order and justice in a state. However, every system gets banal and corrupted with time and loses its purpose. In any system, the social hierarchy plays a role and the lower class are always seen to suffer and get exploited.
Feudalism and monarchy are two social systems that were widely spread. With several differences in between, they also share a few similarities and one of those is the mishandling of the rulers on their subjects. In feudalism, the lords used to steal taxes without the King’s notice and in the monarchy, the ruler used to abuse his power directly.
References
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/30203112
- https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.2307/2855140