Protofeudalism facts for kids

Protofeudalism (which means "early feudalism") is a term used in medieval history. It describes the idea that the first signs of feudalism appeared even before the main feudal period began. This concept is especially important when studying the history of Spain, particularly during the time of the Visigothic Kingdom.

What is Protofeudalism?

Feudalism was a system in the Middle Ages where kings or powerful lords gave land to nobles. In return, these nobles promised loyalty and military service. "Protofeudalism" suggests that a similar, but less developed, system started much earlier.

In Spain, some historians believe they can see early forms of feudalism in the late Visigothic Kingdom. This was a time when the king's power might have started to spread out to local nobles.

Why is it important in Spain?

Many Spanish historians use the idea of protofeudalism to understand their country's past. They often connect it to the quick downfall of the Visigothic Kingdom when Arab armies invaded.

Some scholars thought that the kingdom fell because public power became more private. This meant that powerful local nobles gained more control over land and people, rather than the king having all the power. This idea is sometimes called "privatisation." Also, regions became more independent, which is called "particularism." These two ideas together are what some historians call protofeudalism.

Historians like Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz believed that the Visigothic army itself started to show signs of protofeudalism. This might have happened as early as the late 7th century.

One historian, Payne, described how power became more about personal connections. He explained that important people who served the king were rewarded with land or income from land. This land was often given on a temporary basis. This system was first used by the church, but by the 7th century, kings and powerful nobles also used it to pay their supporters and soldiers. This process of protofeudalism meant that power and control became split up, which made the kingdom weaker.

Disagreements About Protofeudalism

Not all historians agree that protofeudalism truly existed in the way some Spanish scholars describe it.

For example, French historian Céline Martin points out that loyalty oaths in the late Visigothic kingdom were usually made by whole groups of people, like a local community, to the public authority (the king). They were not just individual people swearing loyalty to individual lords, which is more typical of later feudalism.

Roger Collins, another historian, thinks that the idea of protofeudalism might be an attempt by Spanish academics to make Spanish history fit more closely with the history of the rest of Europe. He notes that some Spanish scholars claim there is "international agreement" on the term "protofeudal" for the Visigothic Kingdom, but Collins disagrees.

Also, new discoveries sometimes challenge old ideas. For instance, Michael Kulikowski mentions that coins from the mid-7th century found at El Bovalar suggest there was still a lot of trade happening in central Spain. This goes against the idea that the region was completely isolated and that people were tied to the land as serfs in a protofeudal system.

See also

• Protofeudalismo para niños (In Spanish)