Before the development and establishment of feudalism in medieval Europe and Japan from 600 to 1450 CE, the two civilizations were fragmented. The collapse of the Roman Empire left Europe open to invaders from all fronts, and Japan was long a land of clans. There was much in common between the two feudal systems, including their stabilizing effects and similar hierarchical structures. However, many aspects of the militaristic part of feudalism, particularly the knights and samurai, contrasted sharply with each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The Roman Empire had ruled Europe for hundreds of years before its collapse, and it served as the central government and powerful. It had a large and powerful army, which repelled the invaders. After the collapse, invaders such as the Huns and Goths took the opportunity to try to take over the lands that were divided between them, not knowing what to do. The implementation of the feudal system created a ruler, a monarch, who would govern the citizens through a chain of command. Peasants worked in a manor, supporting whoever owned the manor, who supported the monarch, and those who helped protect the manor. Japan, on the other hand, has a long history of independent clans. With the establishment of a feudal system, they had some form of central government. With a shogun overseeing the civilization, they could work together and focus on advancing as a whole instead of trying to conquer more lands. Although the structures of the Japanese and European feudal systems appear to be the same, there are some minor but essential differences. between them. At the top of the European system was the monarch, that is, the king or queen. As for the Japanese system, on paper their monarch, the emperor, was also at the top. In reality, the emperor was only at the top for show, as he was believed to have divine attributes. The real leader was the shogun, placed at the top by the samurai. Below the monarchs were nobles, which was pretty much the same between the two civilizations. Below that were the knights and samurai, both of whom I will discuss in the next paragraph. In Europe, below the knights were the peasants, who worked in the manors or did manual labor. Merchants were more appreciated than the simple worker. In Japan, we see quite the opposite. In fact, the border between the two was not blurred like in Europe, but very clear. The Japanese believed that the workers were better than the merchant, because while the worker spent backbreaking hours to make a profit, the merchant simply took someone else's labor and sold it. There is a lot to be said about the differences between knights and samurai around the world. feudal eras. They both served the same general purpose; to protect the population from external threats. However, the ethics and morals of the two were very, very different from each other. In Europe, knights were just that: knights. Often they were not educated or polite, but simply strong and adventurous. In Japan, samurai not only had strength, but they also had to have other skills to earn their title. It was common for a samurai to be literate and trained in the fine arts. Knights served their employers through contracts. If.