O feudalism was a political, economic and social organization that developed during the Middle Ages period in Western Europe.
The theme is recurrent in entrance exams and in the Enem, and the questions can address topics such as economy, culture, politics and religion.
We prepared and commented 11 questions on the topic below.
Easy level
Question 01
The obligatory work that the serf had to perform on the lands of the feudal lord was called:
a) Peter's penny.
b) Corvea.
c) Hoist.
d) Banalities.
e) Dead Hand.
Answer: b.
a) WRONG: Penny of Peter was the tax that the servant had to pay to the Church.
b) CORRECT. the corvee could be paid for by carrying out work in the castle or on the plantations of the feudal lord.
c) WRONG: Talha was the part of the production that the serf had to deliver to the feudal lord.
d) WRONG: Banalities were the fees referring to the use of instruments and structures of the manor.
e) WRONG: Dead hand was the fee paid if the patriarch of the family died and the family chose to continue living in the same house.
Question 02
Fill in the gaps:
The nobles who donated land to other nobles were the ____________, while the _____________ were the nobles who received those lands.
a) Bourgeois – serfs.
b) Vassals - overlords.
c) Overlords – villains.
d) Overlords – vassals.
e) Vassals – bourgeois.
Answer: D
"The nobles who donated land to other nobles were the overlords, while the vassals it was the nobles who received these lands."
In the Middle Ages, suzerainty and vassalage relations took place between nobles. Bourgeois or villains did not participate in this process.
Question 03
03- Tick V for true sentences and F for false ones.
( ) The Catholic Church had little influence during the Middle Ages in Europe.
( ) The number of enslaved increased during feudalism compared to the number existing in the period of the Roman Empire.
( ) During the period of feudalism in the Middle Ages, the economy was based on rural activities.
( ) The clergy owned vast estates during the feudal period.
( ) Suzerainty and vassalage could not happen between nobles.
a) T-F-F-F-V.
b) F-F-F-V-F.
c) V-V-V-V-F.
d) F-F-V-V-F.
e) F-F-V-F-F.
Answer: D
I. FALSE- The Church had a lot of influence on public and private life during the Middle Ages period.
II. FALSE - In Europe there was a decrease in the number of enslaved people after the barbarian migrations. Most of the enslaved became serfs.
III. TRUE - In the period of the Middle Ages, rural life was predominant in western Europe.
IV. TRUE - The Catholic Church became known as "The great feudal lady", for the large amount of land she owned.
v. FALSE - Suzerainty and vassalage relationships could only happen between nobles.
Question 04
It was a feature of feudalism:
a) Exclusively urban life.
b) Valuing religious freedom.
c) Decreased use of currency.
d) Large-scale use of enslaved labor.
e) Power unified in one great kingdom.
Answer: C
The use of currency in feudalism loses a lot of strength, being replaced by barter (exchange of product for product).
Middle level
Question 05
Match the taxes with their respective descriptions
(1) Hoist.
(2) Dead hand.
(3) Banalities.
(4) Corvea.
( ) Tax referring to the use of equipment and facilities of the manor, such as mills, ovens, bridges and roads.
( ) Tax referring to part of everything that was produced on the land.
( ) Compulsory work performed on the land or premises of the feudal lord.
( ) Fee to be paid by the family of the deceased patriarch in order to continue living in the manor.
The correct sequence is:
a) 1-2-3-4.
b) 2-4-3-1.
c) 2-3-4-1.
d) 3-1-4-2.
e) 3-1-2-4.
Answer: D
Talha: tax on part of everything produced on the land.
Dead hand: fee to be paid by the family of the deceased patriarch in order to continue living in the manor.
Banalities: tax referring to the use of equipment and facilities of the manor, such as mills, ovens, bridges and roads.
Corvea: obligatory work performed on the lands or premises of the feudal lord.
Question 06
Regarding the relationships of suzerainty and vassalage, mark the correct alternative:
a) The relationships of suzerainty and vassalage were bonds of fidelity signed by nobles and servants.
b) When a noble donates part of his lands to another noble, he becomes suzerain. The one who receives the lands, his vassal.
c) It was impossible for a noble to be, at the same time, suzerain and vassal, even if of different people.
d) The practice of suzerainty and vassalage is related to capitalism, as these agreements were made between bourgeois and proletarians during the Industrial Revolution.
e) The suzerain had no obligation to his vassal. The vassal would have to swear allegiance to his suzerain.
Answer: b.
a) WRONG: the relationships of suzerainty and vassalage were bonds signed exclusively between nobles.
b) CORRECT. suzerainty and vassalage relationships resulted in the decentralization of power in Europe, creating complex power relationships between nobles.
c) WRONG: a noble could receive a piece of land and then donate part of it to another noble, thus being vassal and suzerain, of different nobles.
d) WRONG: the practice of suzerainty and vassalage was characteristic of feudalism in the Middle Ages.
e) WRONG: suzerain and vassal would have mutual obligations after the signing of the agreement.
Question 07
Mark the correct alternative about the emergence of feudalism:
a) Feudalism arose from the encounter of traits of Roman culture (colonate) with Germanic culture (beneficium and comitatus).
b) The practice of settlement, very present among peoples of Germanic origin, was one of the bases for the formation of feudalism.
c) Among the Germanic peoples, the beneficium, an important practice that later gave rise to feudalism, was the sale of land from one noble to another through the use of silver coins.
d) The emergence of feudalism occurred during the so-called Late Middle Ages.
e) The Catholic Church condemned feudalism during the High Middle Ages, being a great defender of capitalism in Europe.
Answer: a.
a) CORRECT. Roman settlement: those who did not own land offered their labor in order to live and have protection in the lands of a noble.
b) WRONG: the settlement was a practice among the Roman peoples.
c) WRONG: the beneficium it was the gift of land from one noble to another, not the sale.
d) WRONG: the emergence of feudalism occurred in the High Middle Ages.
e) WRONG: the Catholic Church did not condemn feudalism, and capitalism did not yet exist during the High Middle Ages.
Question 08
About the structures of a manor, mark the correct alternative.
a) The walls of the castles in a manor had the function of protecting only the feudal lord, because normally the manors had laws that prohibited the entry of serfs in that space.
b) The forest was a space in the manor that the feudal lord avoided visiting, due to the dangers existing there, such as the attack of wild animals and possible invaders.
c) The mills and ovens were for the exclusive use of the feudal lord.
d) Even though the clergy did not have great importance in the period, the existence of churches in the manors was common.
e) Manso servile was the part of the manor destined for agricultural production by the serfs.
Answer: e.
a) WRONG: in times of wars and invasions, servants could also protect themselves in castles.
b) WRONG: feudal lords frequented the forests mainly for hunting, considered important for the nobility.
c) WRONG: everyone could use ovens and mills. For this, servants were charged a fee, called banalities.
d) WRONG: the Catholic Church had great importance in the Middle Ages.
e) CORRECT. Manso servile: part of the manor destined for the serfs; manor house: part destined for the plantations of the feudal lord; communal mansion: area for use by all the inhabitants of the manor.
Hard level
Question 09
(ACAFE) Formed from the fusion of elements of the Germanic and Roman peoples, the Feudal System presented several characteristics during its predominance in medieval Europe. In this context, mark the alternative that does NOT correspond to a characteristic of European feudalism.
a) The basis of the feudal economy was agrarian. Land ownership was fundamental to the Nobles.
b) With the Colonato, salaried workers were the predominant manpower in the manors.
c) The medieval Church exerted a great influence on the behavior of feudal society.
d) The suzerainty and vassalage relations between the nobles were inserted in the context of feudalism.
Answer: b.
a) CORRECT: fiefs were large rural properties owned by nobles. The feudal economy was largely agrarian.
b) WRONG: in the settlement, workers were not salaried. They kept part of the production and transferred the other part to the landowner.
c) CORRECT: the Church held great social power during this period, dictating the morality to be followed by the population.
d) CORRECT: the nobles who donated land to other nobles were the suzerains, while the vassals were the nobles who received these lands
question 10
(IFMT) The Middle Ages was marked by strong religiosity and belief in eternal salvation:
“So then, the city of God, which is taken as one, is actually threefold. Some pray, some fight and some work. The three orders live together and cannot be separated. The services of each of these orders enable the work of both, and each in turn supports the others. While this law was in effect, the world was at peace, but now, the laws weaken and all peace disappears.”
(Carmen ad Rotbertumbregem francorum, In: Jaime Pinsky (org). Feudal mode of production. 4th edition Sao Paulo: Global. 1986. P.71).
Analyzing the text above, it can be concluded that:
a) For the medieval Church, the division into three orders – religious, masters and servants – obeyed the divine will, according to which each order has a role in society, and everyone accepts it.
b) The division into orders was a human will, and was therefore at odds with the divine will.
c) The role of each order was determined by the importance that war had in that society, and fighting and fighting were the most sacred attributions during the Middle Ages.
d) The text states that the most important service in medieval society was performed by the serfs – those who work – because everyone's nutrition depended on them.
e) Disobedience to the established order, during the medieval period, was an important instrument for the maintenance of peace.
Answer: a.
a) CORRECT. the Church justified the prevailing social order on the basis of religious arguments.
b) WRONG: the theocentric view of the Middle Ages, defended by the Catholic Church, stated that the social division (clergy - nobility - serfs) existed by a divine will. Therefore, it should not be questioned or modified.
c) WRONG: to make war was the role of the nobility, but this was not considered a more sacred assignment than the role of the clergy themselves.
d) WRONG: the text states that each of the three services is important, as they enable the service of the other two.
e) WRONG: not disobedience, but obedience, was an instrument for maintaining peace.
question 11
(PUC) Before the COVID-19 epidemic, other diseases spread rapidly and caused the death of thousands of people. In the Western Middle Ages, the Black Death became famous, which, combined with famine, decimated about a third of the European population.
Mark the only alternative that correctly relates the emergence of this plague to the larger picture of the late Middle Ages:
a) The emergence of the Black Death reinforced the scientific development, especially of medieval medicine, which was able to discover salvific solutions offered by Scholasticism.
b) The emergence of the Black Death indicates the rebirth of European trade routes and contributed to the decline of the feudal regime.
c) The Black Death favored the growth of universities in Europe, as both suzerains and vassals joined together to encourage the development of research and the creation of an effective vaccine.
d) The Black Death led popes, bishops and kings to band together to force infected people to fight in the Crusades, with the aim of thus transmitting the disease to the Muslims who ruled Jerusalem.
Answer: b.
a) WRONG: salvific solutions (related to Christian salvation) were not ascertained from the use of scientific development during the Black Death.
b) CORRECT: feudalism begins to lose strength from the various epidemics, pandemics and commercial and urban renaissance.
c) WRONG: the first vaccine recorded was produced in the 18th century, centuries after the Black Death pandemic period.
d) WRONG: the tactic presented was not used by the clergy in the Crusades, despite the tactic of infecting the enemy with some disease having been used in other wars.
See more at:
- Feudalism
- Middle Ages
