Manorialism

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Part of a series on Manorialism

Organization
Manor · Fief · Lord · Liege · Feudalism Demesne · Household · Bailiff · Herald
Production
Slave · Serf · Yeoman · Craftsmen Monopolies
Expenses
Scutage · Castle

Manorialism is the organization of land into manors, by which a manorial lord supports himself, a military contingent and a court of law, by which he provides protection and justice to his manor, and service to his liege.
Manorialism is the system that organizes most rural economies of Cerilia. Guilds are dominant in the towns and Guildcraft best describes the system of urban economies. Tribal hunters, pastoralists, and food collectors have yet a third economic system.
Some manors are directly controlled by a single knight for their own support. Others are controlled by lords, counts or dukes as part of a network of manors each designed to provide the support for a knight and a body of men to accompany him. These manors are run the same way, although the knight and other soldiers supported may be elsewhere as part of a larger force.
In order to perform its functions, the manor places legal and economic authority into the hands of a lord. The lord then maintains a household, to run the manor, provide justice, and to provide the military force that is expected by the lord's liege and for the protection of the manor.