Medievalists.net » The Great Stirrup Controversy http://www.medievalists.net Where the Middle Ages Begin Mon, 07 Dec 2015 05:01:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.9 The Stirrup as a Revolutionary Device http://www.medievalists.net/2012/03/11/the-stirrup-as-a-revolutionary-device/ http://www.medievalists.net/2012/03/11/the-stirrup-as-a-revolutionary-device/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2012 15:02:16 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=30011 A German legal historian, Paul Roth, published in 1850 a work that set out the basic concept of feudalism. According to Roth, Charles Martel had combined the two existing institutions of ‘vassalage’ and ‘benefice’—that is, a vassal swore allegiance to his lord in return for which he was given some kind of benefice, usually rent-free land.

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