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Feudalism is the system of governing whereby semiautonomous nobility have certain responsibilities to the king, in return for the use of grants of land, known as fiefs, in which semi-free peasants, known as serfs, are employed to labor the land. As the Roman Empire crumbled, emperors granted land to nobles in exchange for their loyalty. These lands eventually developed into manors. A manor is the land owned by a noble and everything on it. A …

…number at first. Their main function was to guard against sudden attack. They were gathered and housed in hilltop fortifications at strategic locations. Gradually these fortifications turned into elaborate castles. Due to the dispersed population that resulted from feudalism, there was a lack of opportunities for “unit” training, which increased the importance of individual skills. The cavalry supplanted the infantry. There was a great amount of flexibility, and fighting was done mounted or on foot.