TitleBritish LiteratureJune 2, 2010The Decline of FeudalismFeudalism was based on a hierarchical social structure. William the Conqueror being the first king, he was named at the top of the hierarchy with God. Everyone else was below them and had to go their own way. This system worked systematically for years until things started to change. People were moving away from what the king had made them to be. They were creating their own lives. The fall of feudalism was caused by the Crusades, the merchant class, Thomas Becket, the Magna Carta, the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death. In 1072, Jerusalem and the Holy Land were conquered by the Muslims. Along with the spread of Islam and the growth of the Seljuk Turkish Empire, Jerusalem and the Holy Land seemed to stand no chance. The people who lived there were forbidden to practice anything religious. In 1093, a call was made to the Pope to send armies to help him reconquer the lands. Pope Urban II called for a “holy war” to regain what they had lost. Nearly 60,000 people responded to the pope's call. (http://www.wolfhavenproductions.net/FeudalEurope/crusades.htm) Despite the overwhelming urge to attack Muslims, some believed that war was a bad thing. Jesus told us to love our enemies and not fight them. People thought there had to be a more peaceful way to resolve this problem. There were so many people who did not recognize that there was any other choice than war. People tried to come out and let them know that war was not the solution. Jesus was a pacifist and they knew he didn't want a problem like this to be solved with violence. (BOOK)Ultimately however, four great crusades, to the exclusion of smaller others, ...... middle of paper ...... g land now which boosted the wool and cotton industries . All the peasants on the outskirts of England quickly moved to town after the epidemic spread. The serfs began to take power thanks to the death of all those who preceded them in the feudal system. This disrupted the feudal order and led to the final blow that destroyed feudalism. (http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/black-death.htm) As you can see, the decline of feudalism was caused by the Crusades, the merchant class, Thomas Becket, the Magna Carta , the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death. Each, in their own way, broke the feudal hierarchical system to the point of making it obsolete. People got the rights they deserved and everyone should be considered equal. Thanks to all these causes, England was able to emerge from the chaos of feudalism and become a nation full of equality..