This concept is an anachronism according to Elizabeth A. R. Brown’s 1974 article The Tyranny of a Construct, which cites Frederic Maitland’s rejection of this concept’s presence in England. Marc Bloch applied this concept to each of the three estates, unlike François Louis Ganshof, who limited it to reciprocal obligations among the warrior nobility. Karl Marx considered this system to be the mode of production preceding (*) capitalism. This system allowed for the aggregation of land among the lower nobility, contributing to the rise of manorialism. People in this system participated in ceremonies consisting of a two-part act of homage and an oath of fealty. For 10 points, name this political and economic system of medieval Europe whereby lords granted fiefs to vassals. ■END■
ANSWER: feudalism [accept feudal society or feudal system; prompt on vassalage or descriptions of granting fiefs by asking “what broader political system was that part of?”]
<JS, European History>
= Average correct buzz position