Manorialism
...had to pay a tithe to their local church, which was ten percent of their produce. The lord of a manor also possessed the ability to pass judgement upon the serfs. A large reason for this was the decentralization caused by feudalism. However, only lesser crimes were tried in the lord's court. Serfs endured this because they needed protection, which they didn't have if they were free peasants. The lord gave them this protection. Also if there had been a bad harvest one year, a peasant might have had no other choice, but to lose their freedom. This system was very beneficial to the lord of the manor. The serfs took care of up to half of all the land specifically for the lord. Also, having serfs enabled nobles and knights to have much leisure time, I believe that the knights and nobles would not have been able to provide adequate protection for themselves, let alone the serfs. Manorialism was needed during the early middle ages because this time saw a large reduction in trade. Coins and jewe...