Feudalism was the way of life of people in the Middle Ages. Some people, such as royalty and nobles, supported and appreciated feudalism. Others, such as serfs and slaves, did not enjoy feudalism. Everyone in society was involved in feudalism. Some parts of society were affected more than others. The Middle Ages or Middle Ages are believed to have begun with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 and lasted about 1,000 years until around 1450. Feudalism is important to the story because it was what popularized William I, the conqueror, kept peace and security in the country, and gave the king more power. The king had complete control under the feudal system. He owned all the land in the country and also decided who he would rent the land to. He generally allowed tenants he could trust to rent land from him. However, before they were given any land, they always had to take an oath of allegiance to the king. The men who rented land from the king were known as Barons or nobles. They were rich, powerful, and had complete control of the land they rented from the king. Barons or nobles rented land from the king which was known as manors. They were known as the Lord of the Manor and had complete control of this land. They established their own justice system, minted their own currency, and set their own taxes. In exchange for the land given to them by the king, the barons were expected to serve on the royal council, pay rent, and provide the king with knights for military service when he requested it. They also had to provide lodging and food for the king and his court when they traveled in his kingdom. The Barons kept what portion of their lands they wanted for their own use, then divided the rest among their Knights. The barons were very rich. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Knights were given land by a baron in exchange for military service when requested by the king. They also had to protect the Baron and his family, as well as the Manor, from attacks. The Knights kept as much land as they wanted for their own personal use and distributed the rest to farmers or serfs. Although not as wealthy as the Barons, the Knights were quite wealthy. The Villeins, sometimes known as serfs, received land from the knights. They were to provide the Knight with free work, food and services whenever requested. Villeins had no rights. They could not leave the manor and had to ask permission from their lord before they could marry. The Villeins were poor. In 1066 William the Conqueror created the feudal system in England. The feudal system helped William the Conqueror consolidate his power over England. The feudal system was introduced to England following the invasion and conquest of the country by William I, the Conqueror. The feudal system had been used in France by the Normans since their first settlement in about 900 AD. It was a simple but effective system, in which all land was owned by the king. William the Conqueror was a very intelligent king and one of his first acts after winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066, was to create a new feudal system in England which required all the lands in the country to be handed over to him. agreement for England's main medieval Anglo-Saxon population, who had never before lived under a feudal system. King William created the feudal system for his own gain, his role was to organize and plan the system with the help of loyal and well-positioned barons, he had to decide who he should place in places of power to maintain.