Feudalism was a system of social governance that was based on using land in exchange for engaging in military service. Above all, the system required that everyone regard the King of England as his or her superior. Strict allegiance to the monarch was mandatory.

The system was introduced to England by William the Conquerer, who needed to find a way to reward his Norman supporters for helping to take over England in 1066. William also needed his supporters to remain loyal, and instituted a power structure that laid out the rights and responsibilities of everyone, from the highest to the lowest station in life. The King, however, remained the sole owner of all of the land under his control.

Noblemen, knights and vassals (who were typically the true tenants who lived on and worked the land) simply held the land from the king. The parcels held were known as fiefdoms, or simply fiefs. Barons and/or knights were regarded as tenants-in-chief.

Before a person could essentially sublet land from a lord (the tenant who had been given the right to hold the land), that person needed to become a vassal, taking an oath of fealty. This amounted to a contract in which the vassal pledged to fight at the command of his lord, while the lord would protect the vassal from forces of the outside world – an important consideration in a society that had no police and where judicial rights were lacking. Vassals also could provide “counsel” to their lord – particularly when the lord needed to deal with a political situation. Vassals could also create a similar power relationship with peasants, or serfs, who worked the land they held.

This system flourished for some time, ushering in a new era of prosperity. In turn, the new growth resulted in increased trade and the use of money as currency. As money use became more prevalent, the relationship between serf and vassal changed. By the 14th century, serfs were becoming more and more able to buy their freedom from their overseers, which resulted in a labor shortage to work the fiefdoms. Gradually, the system gave way to other forms of government.

However, feudalism influenced certain societal relationships that exist today. The American form of government, for instance, mirrors feudal power structures, with citizens agreeing to be ruled by leaders. It could well be said that the nature of the relationship hasn’t changed so much as the way that relationship is managed, with one set of social bargains exchanged for another.