Meaning & use
feudalism
A medieval social and political system in which lords granted land to vassals in exchange for military service and loyalty.
See it in a sentence
Under feudalism, peasants worked the land in exchange for protection from their lord.
Historians debate exactly when feudalism began to decline across medieval Europe.
A note on using this word
Feudalism describes a whole social structure, not just a single custom, and is central to studying medieval European history.
Words with a similar meaning
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