feudalism

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the set of medieval social and political arrangements based on landholding and reciprocal obligations between lords and vassals

   The course examines how feudalism shaped power and land tenure in medieval Europe.

2. 2
   noun

   a rigidly hierarchical system in which a powerful elite controls land, work, or resources

   Critics described the estate economy as a modern form of feudalism.

Formed from feudal + -ism. Feudal entered English through Medieval Latin feudalis, from feudum, 'a fief or estate held in return for service.' Historians use the broad system label cautiously because medieval institutions varied greatly by place and period.

Topics