Feudalism "Feudalism comes from the word comes from a Latin term for fief. Fiefs were the estate or land granted by a lord in return for a vassals loyalty and service." Feudalism Started in the 900 AD and was a medieval contract relationship among the European upper classes, by which a lord granted land to The Knight in return for military service and other services like food and clothing. Feudalism was the localization of political and economic power from the hands of lords and their vassals (the Knights), each of which ruled their district in the way there wanted. The term feudalism is a division of governmental power spreading over various dominated districts. It does not refer to the social and economic relationships between the peasants and their lords, which are defined as MANORIALISM. This is some stuff that you will learn more of in this report. Origins and Early History The European feudalism has been sought in non-European countries like Japan was a feudal (feudalism) based counties. The Japanese had no contract between the peasants and there were no clear roles of lords and under lords. Feudalism was, in its origin, a blend of Roman custom and Germanic elements (for example sworn faithfulness) to a setup a mutually protective relationship for the kings and serfs. When the German invaders conquered the western Roman Empire in the 5th century, they destroyed the professional Roman army and substituted their own armies, made up of warriors who served their chieftains for honor and booty. The warriors fought on foot and lived off the countryside. As long as they fought one another, they needed no cavalry. But when the Muslims, the Vikings, and the Magyars invaded Europe in the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries, the Germans found themselves unable to deal with these Rapid & shy moving armies. So they started to get horses to help fight, but war horses were expensive, and training to use them took years of practice and the help of the land and vassals (from a Gaelic word meaning servant) were needed to help train the horses and, The vassal not only took the oath loyalty, which everyone owed to his lord, but also a special oath of homage to the feudal lord who gave him land.