The Rise and Fall of FeudalismFederation is a word that describes the government of the United States. A federal government is defined as the act of federalizing or joining separate organizations (Answers 1). In the United States, the three branches of government (1). During the Middle Ages, most governments changed and rarely stayed the same for very long periods of time. Many things would happen in each country that would change the type of government each would have. Particularly, during the Middle Ages in Europe, things were changing rapidly (Nelson 1). Feudalism was potentially becoming a rapidly growing economic and social element of the European way of life in the Middle Ages. Feudalism was a word created in the 16th century by royal lawyers and used to describe the decentralized and complex system in which most European societies emerged (Nelson 1). Feudalism was established by William the Conqueror and his troops after the defeat of the English Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 (Middle 1). The rise of feudalism had a dramatic impact on Europe in the Middle Ages (1). It began with the exchange of land for military services, also called barter, by King William (1). Barter was common during the feudal years (Pluta 1). A fief is another key term in the feudal system. A fief was anything that was considered useful or valuable (Middle 1). For example, a fief can be land or ownership of produced goods (1). In this system, no one had the right to vote on anything and had to obey and pay their overseers. It was a system ruled by the “supreme” (Feudalism 1). If you didn't have money, own land, or produce goods to trade, you were greatly despised (1). To understand feudalism in...... middle of paper ...... istocracy, even after the loss of its feudal powers (2). Works Cited Cheyette, Fredric L. “Feudalism, European.” New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne Cline Horowitz. Flight. 2. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 828-831. Gale WorldHistory in context. Notre Dame High School Library, Crowley, LA. Internet. January 2, 2011. “Feudalism.” Howstuffowrks.com. Internet. January 2, 2011. “Feudalism”. International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 135-136. Gale's global history in context. Notre Dame High School Library, Crowley, LA. Internet. January 2, 2001. Nelson, Dr. Lynn H. "The Rise of Feudalism, 850-1000 AD Lectures in Medieval History. WWW Virtual Library. Web. January 02, 2011. Pluta, Professor L. "Rise and Fall of Feudalism." Scribd . December 13, 2007. Web January 2. 2001.