In the Middle Ages during the 10th and 13th centuries, a form of political and social organization called feudalism was a way of life that had a great effect on the people of the time and the modern world. Feudalism developed due to the weakness of Europe and its kings. The word feudalism comes from the word fief, which was land held under the condition of feudal service, similar to an (English) estate. Fiefs united lords and vassals. Feudalism was a structure in which a lord divided his land into smaller parts to give to lesser lords (“feudalism”). A nobleman, or lord, had control of his manor. The manor was the heart of the feudal economy (Ellis and Esler 222). A manor often consisted of a castle, a church, a village and surrounding farmland (“The Middle Ages”). The king owned all the company's land and divided it among trusted lords. A lord would then give away portions of his land to vassals, who entered into an agreement of loyalty and service to the lord in exchange for the land (Ellis and Esler 219-244). A vassal was often also a lord. Vassals would have their own vassals, making them lords of those vassals (Ellis and Esler 219). Again, these vassals had their own vassals, but these vassals were called serfs. Peasants made up the majority of the population in a manor, but most peasants were serfs because they were tied to the land (Ellis and Esler 222). The feudal system was based on personal oaths of allegiance and was supported by the medieval Christian Church (“Feudalism” Hutchinson Encyclopedia). The exchange of tokens between a lord and a vassal was known as a feudal contract (Ellis and Esler 219). The lord granted a fiefdom to the vassal and provided him with protection, who in return gave the lord the...... middle of paper ......but feudalism continued to exist in Europe and other parts of the world for many centuries .Works CitedEllis, Elisabeth and Anthony Esler. Prentice Hall World History Volume 1. 1. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc., 2011. 219-247. Press. January 5, 2014. English, Edward D. “Feudalism.” Encyclopedia of the Medieval World, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Ancient and Medieval History Online. File, Inc. Web Facts. December 13, 2013.“Feudalism." Feudalism. Np, nd Web. January 02, 2014."Feudalism." Hutchinson Encyclopedia. 2011. eLibrary. Web. January 04, 2014."The Magna Carta. " Featured Documents. US National Archives & Records Administration, nd Web, 5 January 2014. "Middle Ages: Feudal Life." Annenberg Learner. Annenberg Foundation, nd Web. 5 January 2014. "Nun." Def. 1. Collegiate Dictionary of Merriam-Webster 11th ed. 2014