The Middle Ages is the European historical period between Antiquity and the Modern Era, which is considered to begin with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire (476 AC), and to end with the discovery of America (1492).
 The Early Middle Ages (also called Dark Ages), goes from the fifth to the tenth century and is characterized by low-income families and from invasions by Slavs, Arabs, Normans and Magyars. 
 The High Middle Ages, is an intermediate period, from the eleventh to the thirteenth century, which sees the development of forms of government based on lords and vassals, with the construction of castles and the rebirth of life in cities.
 The Late Middle Ages, from the fourteenth to the fifteenth century, saw a growing general power and the revival of commercial interests, especially after the plague of the fourteenth century.

Feudalism was the political governing system during the Middle Ages. It evolved in a time where people needed protection from invasions. This system was meant for the kings and important people to have control over the serfs and the peasants. 
 The most important relationship in the feudal society is between the lord, the vassals, and the peasants. The lord was a monarch who controlled all land and people. Vassals were noblemen that had been promised a fief (from the lord) in exchange for military service and loyalty. This is known as the feudal contract. When a vassal was granted a fief, the peasants and buildings on that land were included