During the 9th and 10th century invasions, many people did not feel safe in their own homes. When they realized that the government could not protect them, they turned to the local warlords for protection, inadvertently creating a social system known as manorialism, which came hand in hand with feudalism.
The practice of manorialism was simply labour for protection. Some would say that it was a system that was bordering slavery, but I disagree with this view. People who went to the warlords for help were given their own houses, food, and were not sold off without warning. The lords were not allowed to separate the family or abuse them. The system was more of a voluntary serfdom.
From there, feudalism was formed, which was considered to be a form of government. Feudalism is when a lord would give property to a vassal/knight to live on and make a profit from. These vassals were free to dispense their own laws on their estate. Sometimes vassals would have vassals of their own. This was known as subinfeudation.
As you can see, when the government started to fail, the people came up with their own ways to stay safe. As these practices continued in France, a dynasty of kings, known as the Capetian Kings, would come to power and build France into the country we know today.
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Sophia Elahi RPC Blog 