Feudalism was a system of governance that began in France around 900 A.D., spreading throughout Europe over the next 150 years. the system was established when kings and queens began to lose control of their centralized kingdoms. they started giving control of local areas to the lords that lived there. the lord were given ownership of the land, as well as the peasants that lived there and all of their possessions. in return for this power, the lord pledged to be loyal to the king and queen, and to send knights to protect them when necessary. meanwhile, the peasants were forced to work for the lords, farming their land and performing whatever tasks were required