Why did feudalism begin in the Middle Ages?
Feudalism protected the position of the king, by ensuring the loyalty and service of the lords and knights, in return for position and favours. But feudalism, as we understand it, could probably not have existed without the serfs. When the supply of slaves, from central and eastern Europe, dried up in the tenth century, serfdom became the answer. Landholders also found that serfs were not only cheaper, but easier to manage than slaves had been.
