一種17世紀時已逐漸沒落的制度，它代表了歐洲的經濟、法律、政治和社會關係，起源於中世紀。在這種制度中，封臣以領地的形式從領主手中獲得土地。封臣要為領主盡一定的義務，並且必須向領主效忠。在更廣泛的意義上，封建主義一詞指「封建社會」，這是特別盛行於閉鎖的農業經濟中的一種文明形式。封建主義的另外一個方面是采邑制或莊園制，在這種制度中，地主對農奴享有廣泛的警察、司法、財政和其他權力。11世紀封建主義把歐洲原本失序的政治恢復原有的秩序，同時也成為日後形成強大君主勢力的基礎。封建主義也傳到一些非西方社會地區，在那裏可以看到類似中世紀歐洲的組織。儘管封建主義到14世紀末已經不再是一種政治的和社會的力量，但它仍然在歐洲社會中留下了自己的烙印。它對現代形式的立憲政府的形成產生了極大影響。
feudalism
Term that emerged in the 17th century that has been used to describe economic, legal, political, social, and economic relationships in the European Middle Ages. Derived from the Latin word [latin]feudum (fief) but unknown to people of the Middle Ages, the term “feudalism” has been used most broadly to refer to medieval society as a whole, and in this way may be understood as a socio-economic system that is often called manorialism. It has been used most narrowly to describe relations between lords and vassals that involve the exchange of land for military service. Feudalism in this sense is thought to have emerged in a time of political disorder in the 11th century as a means to restore order, and it was later a key element in the establishment of strong monarchies. “Feudalism” also has been applied, often inappropriately, to non-Western societies where institutions similar to those of medieval Europe are thought to have existed. The many ways “feudalism” has been used have drained it of specific meaning, however, and caused some scholars to reject it as a useful concept for understanding medieval society.
