On Feudal Obligations

1. Fulbert of Chartres: On Feudal Obligations

To William most glorious duke of the Aquitanians, bishop Fulbert the favor of his prayers.

Asked to write something concerning the form of fealty, I have noted briefly for you on the authority of the books the things which follow. He who swears fealty to his lord ought always to have these six things in memory; what is harmless, safe, honorable, useful, easy, practicable. Harmless, that is to say that he should not be injurious to his lord in his body; safe, that he should not be injurious to him in his secrets or in the defenses through which he is able to be secure; honorable, that he should not be injurious to him in his justice or in other matters that pertain to his honor; useful, that he should not be injurious to him in his possessions; easy or practicable, that that good which his lord is able to do easily, he make not difficult, nor that which is practicable he make impossible to him.

However, that the faithful vassal should avoid these injuries is proper, but not for this does he deserve his holding; for it is not sufficient to abstain from evil, unless what is good is done also. It remains, therefore, that in the same six things mentioned above he should faithfully counsel and aid his lord, if he wishes to be looked upon as worthy of his benefice and to be safe concerning the fealty which he has sworn.

The lord also ought to act toward his faithful vassal reciprocally in all these things. And if he does not do this he will be justly considered guilty of bad faith, just as the former, if he should be detected in the avoidance of or the doing of or the consenting to them, would be perfidious and perjured.

I would have written to you at greater length, if I had not been occupied with many other things, including the rebuilding of our city and church which was lately entirely consumed in a great fire; from which loss though we could not for a while be diverted, yet by the hope of the comfort of God and of you we breathe again.

2. William I: Summons for Military Service

William, king of the English, to Aethelwig, abbot of Evesham, greeting. I command you to summon all those who are under your charge and administration that they shall have ready before me at Clarendon on the octave of Pentecost all the knights that they owe me. Come to me likewise yourself on that day, and bring ready with you those five knights that you owe me from your abbey. Witness, Eudo the Steward. At Winchester.

3. Henry I: Grant Concerning Scutage

Henry, king of the English, to his archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, etc., greeting. Know that to the church of St. Aetheldreda of Ely, for the love of God, for the souls of my father and mother, for the redemption of my sins, and on the petition of Hervey, bishop of the same church, I have forgiven ￡40 of those ￡100 which the aforesaid church was accustomed to give for scutage whenever scutage was assessed throughout my land of England; so that henceforth forever the church shall on that account give no more than ￡60 when scutage is levied throughout the land. And so let the aforesaid church be quit in perpetuity of the aforesaid pounds.

Witnesses: Roger, bishop of Salisbury; Geoffrey, my chancellor; Robert, [keeper] of the seal; William de Tancarville; William d'Aubigny, steward; Ralph Basset, Geoffrey de Clinton, William de Pont-de-l'Arche. At Eling during my crossing.

一 文獻來源

B. Tierney, ed.,Sources of Medieval History,Vol.1, New York, 1970, pp.111-113.

二 文獻導讀

這是三份涉及中世紀西歐封君封臣關系的文件。第一份是1020年法國北部的查特雷主教福爾伯特給阿奎丹公爵威廉五世的信件，其中陳述了他對封君封臣關系之要旨的理解。第二份是英王威廉一世（1066~1087年在位）所頒布的征調封建軍役的令狀，封建軍役是封臣向封君應盡的主要封建義務。第三份是英王亨利一世（1100~1135年在位）對教會封臣所頒的繳納“盾牌錢”以取代軍役的令狀。

自法蘭克王國的墨洛溫王朝起，西歐大陸開始了封建化的過程。經過近5個世紀的演進，到了10世紀，封建制度作為一種社會形態在西歐大多數地區盛行開來，而封建主階級內部的等級制度——封君封臣制，就是其中的一個重要組成部分。

所謂的封君封臣制，就是以土地的層層分封、占有為基礎，以封君和封臣之間的權利和義務關系為紐帶的封建等級制。首先是國王將全國的土地留下一部分作為王領后，將其余的分授給大封建主，國王成為封君，被分封的人就成為封臣。大封建主在獲得土地以后，也將其中一部分劃為自己直接經營的領地，其余的則再對中等貴族進行分封，大封建主也成為封君，而受封者也成為封臣。這一級封臣也將部分土地分封給騎士，讓其作為自己的封臣。這樣，在各個等級之間都締結起了相互統屬和依附的封君封臣關系。

封君封臣之間結成這種關系時，要舉行相關儀式。在封君行分封前，封臣要向封君行臣服禮——封臣必須跪下，不帶武器，合掌置于封君手中，表示愿意依附封君，成為其封臣。臣服禮后再舉行宣誓效忠儀式，即封臣站著，把手放在《圣經》或圣物上，然后，封君要親吻封臣的額頭，并將具有象征意義的樹枝或泥土交給封臣，表示對其封土的授予。封臣死后，其子需重新行臣服禮，以繼續領有封土，從而使主從關系世代相傳。從理論上講，封君對土地擁有授予權，而封臣只有使用權，而且在死后必須歸還。但現實與之大相徑庭，封君很少真正收回土地，因為多層分封使得封臣封君之間的關系錯綜復雜，而且土地零散，封君要收回土地比較麻煩。所以，封土在維持一定時期后，逐漸轉變為可以繼承、轉讓、買賣的私人財產，但封臣對封君的隸屬身份基本不變。

各個層級的封君封臣的關系一旦形成，雙方就有了封建的權利和義務。封君對封臣要盡一些義務：維持封臣的生計，確保封臣對土地財產的享有；保護封臣的人身安全，封臣如果處于危險中，封君必須出面相救；封臣陷入官司糾葛中，封君應該為封臣在法庭上討回公道；維護封臣的社會名譽，如其遭到污蔑和詆毀，封君要為其澄清和辯護；等等。封臣應對封君履行的義務則更多。他必須效忠于封君，保證封君安全，不能疏于防衛；不能在司法審判上做有害封君名譽的事情；更不能隨意反叛，加害封君的身體和財產。除此之外，封臣還需要履行三項主要的義務。其一是提供軍役。封臣每年都要為封君服兵役，自備兵甲和糧草，或跟隨其從事征戰，或為之駐守城堡、要塞或邊境。這樣的服役有時間限制，在12世紀一般為每年40天。40天之外的服役則由封君提供一定的報酬。從12世紀開始，在英、法等國，國王開始征收“盾牌錢”來取代封建軍役，這項義務也就改為由貨幣支付。其二是支助，即給予封君“協助金”以示資助。尤其是在一些特殊的場合，如封君的長女出嫁、長子晉封為騎士以及封君的遠行等，封臣都須提供經費資助。而當封君在戰場上或其他地方被俘或被扣押作為人質時，封臣也必須籌措贖金贖回主人。其三是勸告與做證。封臣必須向封君的事務提供好的建議或勸諫，使封君做出最合理的判斷。此外，封臣還必須出席封君的法庭，在其司法審判中充當證人，或幫助封主仲裁與其他封臣之間的訴訟。

封君與封臣的權利和義務關系是通過雙方的約定（不少是口頭約定）來締結的，久而久之就成為封建習慣。如果一方未履行應盡的義務，約定就自動解除。從表面上看，這一約定是約束雙方的，但實際上，這卻是一種不平等的人身統屬和依附的關系。如果封臣不效忠或反叛，封君就有權扣押封臣及其家屬，收回其所得的封土。不過，如封君不履行其義務，封臣即可擯棄對主人的效忠，而對封君的侵害，封臣也可予以抵抗。當然，雙方關系處于什么狀態，常常是由雙方的實力對比所決定的。擁有人力和物力之資源優勢的封君，大多處于支配的地位。

在西歐大陸，由于土地是層層分封的，附庸只承認分封自己的人為封主，與自己封主的封主則沒有臣屬關系。所以，在西歐出現了“我的附庸的附庸不是我的附庸”的現象。這種情形使封建等級制度復雜而混亂。如封建主甲可以是乙的封主，而乙的封臣又可以是甲的封君，往往一個封建主又有多個封臣，從而加劇了封建主之間的爭奪和沖突。為了克服這一局限，在1066年的諾曼征服后，英國的君主將其從諾曼底引進的封建制加以改造，要求所有大小封建主向其效忠，形成了“我的附庸的附庸也是我的附庸”的局面。此外，在德意志地區，由于封建化啟動較晚且不充分，并未形成以君主為“塔尖”的層層分封統屬和依附的等級制。

西方人常常把封君封臣制等同于“封建制度”（feudalism）。但從唯物史觀來看，封建制度或封建主義是人類社會發展過程中的一種社會經濟形態、一個歷史階段。大土地所有制和農民小生產的結合及其所形成的人身依附體制，是封建制度的基本特征。因此，封建制度既包含著各級封建主之間的尊卑貴賤的等級關系，即封君封臣制，也包含著封建主與農民之間的階級對立關系。

三 延伸閱讀

Bloch,M.,Feudal Society,translated by L.A.Manyon,Chicago,1961.

Ganshof,F.L.,Feudalism,London,1952.

Reynolds, S.,Fiefs and Vassals:The Medieval Evidence Reinterpreted, Oxford, 1994.