feudalism |ˈfyoōdlˌizəm|
noun historical
the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord’s land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection.
DERIVATIVES
feudalist noun
feudalistic |ˌfyoōdlˈistik| adjective
Thanks to the dictionary in my operating system for that definition.