feudalizmin

Feudalism, or feudalizmin, is a historical term used to describe a largely rural, hierarchical system of landholding and governance that prevailed in medieval Europe and in other regions with similar patterns.

Central to feudalism is a network of reciprocal obligations based on land tenure. A lord granted a vassal a fief in return for military service, advice, and other duties. Sub-vassals could hold land granted by their superiors. At the base stood peasants and serfs who worked the land and owed rents or labor, receiving protection and access to land.

The manor formed the main economic unit, linking production to local defense and justice. Oaths of homage, fealty, and customary law reinforced arrangements, while political authority was distributed among nobles within a framework of overlapping loyalties to kings and lords.

Geographically, European feudalism is usually dated from the 9th to the 15th centuries, though regional variations existed. In other areas, such as Japan, similar patterns of lordship and service existed, but the institutions differed in structure and centralization.

Historians debate the usefulness of the term, noting regional variation and economic complexity, but feudalism remains a common shorthand for medieval political, military, and economic practices. It declined with stronger centralized states, the growth of towns and commerce, and changes in warfare and landholding.