After the Viking, Magyar, and Muslim invasions, many parts of Europe saw the creation of new systems of hierarchy and dependency, both in rural areas (often referred to as the feudal system) as well as in towns/cities. What were some of the reasons for the emergence of both the feudal system and the commercial system of guilds in medieval towns and villages? How did those systems contribute to general stability in the early medieval period, at least compared to the volatility of the preceding centuries?

After the Viking, Magyar, and Muslim invasions, many parts of Europe saw the creation of new systems of hierarchy and dependency, both in rural areas (often referred to as the feudal system) as well as in towns/cities. What were some of the reasons for the emergence of both the feudal system and the commercial system of guilds in medieval towns and villages? How did those systems contribute to general stability in the early medieval period, at least compared to the volatility of the preceding centuries?