Rome essentially transformed into the Byzantine Empire in AD 476.  From this medieval feudalism spread out and had a heavy toll on the lives of the people. Feudalism developed in the aftermath of the end of the Roman empire. There are three elements to feudalism Lords, Vassals and Fiefs. The Lord was a nobleman and owner of land.  The Vassal was granted possession of the land in servitude of the Lord  and the land was called a Fief.  “The origins of European feudalism are to be found in the early Frankish kingdom (8th century), when the granting of fiefs on the one hand and the establishment of personal vassal-lord bonds on the other were linked together“ (Stubbs)

The Middle Ages is generally defined as the period 1066 – 1485, although Feudalism was present in Europe before this time it flourished throughout the Middle Ages. In England this was due to the Norman invasion and subsequent defeat of the Saxons in 1066 by William the Conqueror.  The King rewarded his Lords by giving them land and placing them in his service. For this reward they were expected to train soldiers for the Kings service, provide them arms and clothing and do such other tasks of the Kings bidding.  Feudalism created a pyramid of power and strict hierarchical chain of command of which the King was the head. (Anon). The system was successful because everybody had opportunity to improve their status in the rankings.

The system changed in the late Middle Ages as the social structure moved in favour of the Craftsman and the Merchant. The Feudal relationships changed to that of contracts and exchange of monies for goods and services.  This even improved the life of the peasant, previously at the bottom of the ladder.  Ultimately the economy changed from an agriculture base to more of a commodity base with Merchant trading and exchanges of goods.