manorialism
/məˈnɔriəˌlɪzəm/
noun
- The economic and social system of medieval Europe in which a lord owned a manor and the peasants living on it worked the land in exchange for protection and a place to live.
- Manorialism was the foundation of rural life in the Middle Ages.
- Under manorialism, peasants were bound to the land and could not leave without the lord's permission.
- Historians compare manorialism to feudalism, though they are not exactly the same.