Feudalism governed France and the rest of medieval Europe for hundreds of years. There was no centralized political structure. It was a system that was based around military contracts that was a form of protection against invading foreigners, including the Vikings.

There was a contractual arrangement between lord and king. In return for hereditary title tracts as large as provinces, lords had to provide kings with military service. Lords taxed, oversaw, and judged the inhabitants of their land, who were thus their subjects. They owed their subjects protection and preservation of order. Peasants owed lords loyalty, fees, rent, and military and economic obligations.

The relationship between lord and peasant was based around the manorial system. The upper class who obtained the most land was the group in power. Each of the individual manors did have a centralized system. But when weak kings failed to provide protection from Vikings in the 9^th and 10^th centuries, feudalism was necessary.

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