The development of feudalism during the Middle Ages in Europe was largely a response to the need for security and stability following the collapse of centralized authority after the fall of the Roman Empire. In a fragmented landscape characterized by invasions from Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims, local lords began granting land (fiefs) to vassals in exchange for military service and loyalty. This hierarchical system created a network of obligations and protections, establishing social and economic structures that defined medieval society. Feudalism shaped governance, landownership, and class relations until the rise of more centralized nation-states in later centuries.