This assists in the argument of calling the Middle Ages the Age of Feudalism, because without it, the society would have failed. These social classes were crucial to the way that the feudal society of the Middle Ages operated, and without it, the society would have crumbled down. Because John is the lord on his own land, he has complete power over the vassals, serfs, peasants, and anyone else living on his land because of his high social status. The hierarchies were formed up of 4 main parts: Monarchs. No one else from any other social class can make decisions for the land. The feudal system was just like an ecosystem - without one level, the entire system would fall apart. This means only John (the lord) and his descendants can limit the actions of the people living on his land or make any political decisions regarding the land and its people. For example, when 'John' was being granted a land because he was a lord, it was proclaimed, 'No count on their subordinates, or any other public office shall presume to judge or constrain any persons living on those lands, but John and his sons and their posterity shall judge and constrain them' (Grant of Fief with Immunity). Because Europe’s economy was agriculturally based, feudalism formed a social stratification that separated the different classes, yet, at the. While the serfs and peasants had almost no political power, the lords were in complete charge of their land and how it is run. In the early middle ages, feudalism permeated every aspect of society and economics, determining everything from relationships between kings and lords, to how farmers grew and made use of their crops. The land was worked by peasants and serfs, who were bound to the land and could not leave. The family often stayed in the same social class throughout the Middle Ages. The land was hereditary for the vassals, and was passed on through the family. Vassals often became knights as their form of service, which means that they also held a form of military power.

The vassal was required to serve the lord and provide military services whenever necessary. The nobles became the lord's vassal when the land was entrusted to them. The land given in return of service was called a fief. A king was in complete control of all land, but divided his land into smaller pieces and enlisted the help of lesser nobles to aid him in maintaining the land. Its significance goes far beyond its role in a few centuries in the European Middle Ages, however. The serfs encompassed a majority of the population. The middle ages was organized into multiple social classes, which were responsible for various duties throughout a manor. The term feudal system is used by historians to describe a social-political structure which was a key feature of medieval Europe. By far the largest category of people in the middle ages was the serfs.

Feudalism in the middle ages classes