noun
- a political and economic system in medieval Europe in which nobles held land from a king and peasants worked that land in exchange for protection and the right to live on it
Usage: historical; typically used in reference to medieval Europe
Examples
- Feudalism was the dominant social structure in Europe during the Middle Ages.
- Under feudalism, serfs were bound to the land and owed labor to their lords.
- The decline of feudalism led to the rise of nation-states and modern economies.
- Feudalism created a hierarchy of nobles, knights, and peasants.
- Historians study feudalism to understand medieval society and governance.
- The feudal contract bound lords and vassals in mutual obligations.