What is the order of the feudal system in Norman England from highest to lowest?

What is the order of the feudal system in Norman England from highest to lowest?

• A. King, Barons, Knights, Peasants
• B. King, Knights, Barons, Peasants
• C. Barons, King, Knights, Peasants
• D. King, Peasants, Barons, Knights

Answer: (A)

In the Norman feudal system, land and loyalty are organized in a vertical chain of obligation. The king stands at the top as sovereign; he grants land to the barons, who are the great lords holding fiefs directly from the king and owing him military support and advice. Those barons then grant land to knights in return for military service and protection, making knights the next level under the barons. Finally, peasants or serfs work the granted lands to produce the food and resources that sustain everyone above them. So the order from highest to lowest is the king, barons, knights, and peasants. The other arrangements disrupt the way land and obligation flowed between levels in the Norman hierarchy.

In the Norman feudal system, land and loyalty are organized in a vertical chain of obligation. The king stands at the top as sovereign; he grants land to the barons, who are the great lords holding fiefs directly from the king and owing him military support and advice. Those barons then grant land to knights in return for military service and protection, making knights the next level under the barons. Finally, peasants or serfs work the granted lands to produce the food and resources that sustain everyone above them. So the order from highest to lowest is the king, barons, knights, and peasants. The other arrangements disrupt the way land and obligation flowed between levels in the Norman hierarchy.