An Introduction to Feudalism The term ‘feudalism’ has been used by historians to describe the economic, legal, political and social relationships that existed in Europe in the medieval era. Derived from the German word ‘feud’, which The term ‘medieval era’ refers to the period in European history between the fifth and the fifteenth centuries. T HE T HREE O RDERS M AP : Western Europe T HEMES IN W ORLD H ISTORY means ‘a piece of land’, it refers to the kind of society that developed in medieval France, and later in England and in southern Italy. In an economic sense, feudalism refers to a kind of agricultural production which is based on the relationship between lords and peasants.
The latter cultivated their own land as well as that of the lord. The peasants performed labour services for the lords, who in exchange provided military protection. They also had extensive judicial control over peasants. Thus, feudalism went beyond the economic to cover the social and political aspects of life as well.
Although its roots have been traced to practices that existed in the Roman Empire and during the age of the French king Charlemagne ( - ), feudalism as an established way of life in large parts of Europe may be said to have emerged later, in the eleventh century.