Middle Age Economy The economy mostly seen in the early middle ages was feudalism, Europe’s form of government in the Middle Ages, was developed in the fifth century to meet the changing needs of the time. It was based heavily on the honor system. The king had overall power, then the lord, then the vassals, or landowners, and finally down to the peasants, known then as the villeins. The fiefs, or estates, could be rented out to one vassal who would then rent portions of the fief to three more, and so on. Each person would give their peer a fee (called the guild) and goods in return for protection. As an old medieval saying states, "No lan