Bayeux harold Harold swears an oath to William (Bayeux Tapestry,
about 1077 AD)  Feudalism is a way to govern a large state when
the king is poor and not very powerful, and when there aren't
good roads so it is hard to communicate with people who live far
away at the other end of your kingdom.  The king divided his
land into fiefs (FEEFS) and gave them to other rich men or
women, who were called dukes or duchesses, or sometimes earls or
countesses. In exchange, the duke or duchess had to swear fealty
(FEEL-tee) to the king - they had to promise to come help the
king whenever he asked them, and to do whatever the king told
them to do. Each duke or duchess held a large amount of land, so
they divided their fiefs into smaller fiefs, ruled by counts or
countesses or barons or baronesses. In exchange, the counts had
to swear fealty to their duke or duchess.  These counts still
held pretty large amounts of land, so they would divide their
fiefs into farms, and give the farms out to their own followers.
In exchange,