Yes, quite Bill.
Unwittingly to some extent, Catholicism blatantly animated and inspired JRRT's characters and images.
Also, while I would differentiate him from Goethe, Hegel and others of the German giants of thought, it is not at all an unfair comparison it in terms of literature, source material and greatness.
As for history, I would be loathe to excuse Monarchy by reference to its post-feudal incidences in Europe. While that period saw the end of serfdom and so forth, more free holdings, the Elightenment and all that, it was also a period of centralized tyranny and other unfortunate trends.
No, I think one must first recognized fuedalism as social scientist's model. In practice, in many ways it could have produced very humane results, and the high-medieval period whatever the downtroddeness of certain classes, in places, at times, saw tremendous growth and properity. And much of what one reads between the lines in LoTR would suggest fuedalistic elements of liegence, fiefs, and so forth.
However, this does not seem to revolve around the labor-value of land, but rather that of honor and true service by the leaders to their people, all of whom had military responsibilities. Again, one distinction here is demographics.
But really, JRRT was operating in a pre-Chalemagne period where the feudalistic code was less developed, without the lingering elements of Roman society in some respects.
Oddly, in terms technology, foodstuffs and so forth, LoTR at least is operating in the 17th Century, if not the 18th or 19th, with the notable exceptions and absence of movable-type printing and firearms.
In terms of social/political organization it is a mixture of Iron-Age and Dark-Age Europe.
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The hoes unrecked in the fields were flung, __ and fallen ladders in the long grass lay __ of the lush orchards; every tree there turned __ its tangled head and eyed them secretly, __ and the ears listened of the nodding grasses; __ though noontide glowed on land and leaf, __ their limbs were chilled.
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