Manorialism

The symbiotic relationship in which peasants and lords provided for one another. It organized the social classes and made feudalism possible. In the system, the lord of the manor kept some land for himself but allotted the majority to peasants. Each peasant became a tenant of a small plot of land. They farmed their strip of land and paid the lord the "rent" with either labor, produce or money depending on the agreement. If any outbreak of violence, war, etc., occurred, the lord was obligated to protect his peasants adequately.