Final answer:
The feudal system was a hierarchical system of power based on land ownership and protection. Lords granted land to vassals in return for loyalty and military service. This system emerged in response to the need for security and the absence of effective government during the Middle Ages.
Step-by-step explanation:
The feudal system was a hierarchical system of power based on land ownership and protection. Lords, or nobility, granted land to vassals in return for their loyalty and military service. Vassals, in turn, extracted wealth from the land and relied on peasants for labor. This system emerged in response to the need for security and the absence of effective government during the Middle Ages. It was a mutually supportive system, but also prone to instability and violence.