Question

Which were the primary reasons for the fall of Feudalism in Europe?

The peasants revolted

The power of the nobles increased

Trade routes and systems of communication improved

A land-based economy was created

A centralized government was established

Answer 1

Correct choices:
- The peasants revolted
- Trade routes and systems of communication improved
- A centralized government was established

Brief reasons:
- Peasant revolts (and the labor shortage after the Black Death) weakened the manorial/serf system and forced changes in labor relations and obligations.
- Improved trade, towns and communications fostered a money-based economy and a wealthy merchant class, undermining the land-for-service foundation of feudalism.
- Centralized monarchies built bureaucracies, legal systems and standing armies that reduced the military and judicial power of feudal lords.

Why the others are wrong:
- The power of the nobles increased — not a cause of feudalism’s fall; noble power generally declined as kings centralized authority.
- A land-based economy was created — feudalism already depended on a land-based economy; its decline was associated with a shift away from land-based, feudal obligations toward money and trade.