Final answer:
In European feudalism, lords were powerful landowners who managed lands held from the monarch and granted fiefs to vassals in exchange for service. The monarch was the supreme lord, but their power could be limited by more powerful nobles. Over time, the feudal system began to weaken as other social and economic forces emerged.
Step-by-step explanation:
In European feudalism during the Middle Ages, a lord was a landowner who held significant social, economic, and political power. Lords were part of a hierarchical system and held land from a monarch. In turn, lords granted portions of their lands as fiefs to vassals in exchange for military service and other duties. The monarch was the highest lord and was seen as the guarantor of rights and privileges within the kingdom, although their power was often challenged by their nobles.
The lords were essential for the management and protection of the feudal system. They collected revenue from the serfs who worked the land and in return, provided protection and governance. This system was mutually beneficial but also upheld a strict social order, with the serfs at the bottom.
As the Middle Ages progressed, the power dynamics within feudalism changed. Some lords became powerful enough to challenge the king's authority, and the system began to weaken, particularly with the rise of merchant wealth and the impacts of the Great Famine, the Black Death, and the Hundred Years' War, which ultimately disrupted the feudal bond between lords and serfs.