Starting from the top of society’s pyramid, the monarch – a good example is William the Conqueror (r. THE VASSAL RECEIVED ANY INCOME FROM THE LAND, HAD AUTHORITY OVER ITS INHABITANTS & COULD PASS THE SAME RIGHTS ON TO HIS HEIRS. The feudal system proper became widespread in Western Europe from the 11th century CE onwards, largely thanks to the Normans as their rulers carved up and dished out lands wherever their armies conquered. The system had its roots in the Roman manorial system (in which workers were compensated with protection while living on large estates) and in the 8th century CE kingdom of the Franks where a king gave out land for life (benefice) to reward loyal nobles and receive service in return.
So here is some little-known history of the origins of feudalism. The fee signified the land given (the fief) as a payment for regular military service.
The word ‘feudalism’ derives from the medieval Latin terms feudalis, meaning fee, and feodum, meaning fief.
