ance ▁this ▁organization ▁was ▁maintained ▁consisted ▁of ▁mon ks ▁who ▁served ▁God ▁in ▁chant ▁and ▁spent ▁much ▁of ▁their ▁time ▁in ▁reading ▁and ▁writing ." ▁ ▁Man orial ism ▁died ▁slowly ▁and ▁pie c eme al , ▁along ▁with ▁its ▁most ▁v ivid ▁feature ▁in ▁the ▁landscape , ▁the ▁open ▁field ▁system . ▁It ▁out last ed ▁ser f dom ▁as ▁it ▁out last ed ▁fe ud al ism : ▁" prim arily ▁an ▁economic ▁organization , ▁it ▁could ▁maintain ▁a ▁war rior , ▁but ▁it ▁could ▁equally ▁well ▁maintain ▁a ▁capital ist ▁land l ord . ▁It ▁could ▁be ▁self - su fficient , ▁yield ▁produce ▁for ▁the ▁market , ▁or ▁it ▁could ▁yield ▁a ▁money ▁rent ." ▁The ▁last ▁fe ud al ▁dues ▁in ▁France ▁were ▁abol ished ▁at ▁the ▁French ▁Revolution . ▁In ▁parts ▁of ▁eastern ▁Germany , ▁the ▁Ritter g ut ▁man ors ▁of ▁J unk ers ▁remained ▁until ▁World ▁War ▁II . ▁ ▁In ▁Quebec , ▁the ▁last ▁fe ud al ▁r ents ▁were ▁paid ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 0 ▁under ▁the ▁modified ▁prov isions ▁of ▁the ▁Se ign ior ial ▁D ues ▁Ab ol ition ▁Act ▁of ▁ 1 9 3 5 . ▁ ▁Historical ▁and ▁ge ographical ▁distribution ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁is ▁most ▁often ▁used ▁with ▁reference ▁to ▁medieval ▁Western ▁Europe . ▁An te ced ents ▁of ▁the ▁system ▁can ▁be ▁trac ed ▁to ▁the ▁rural ▁economy ▁of ▁the ▁later ▁Roman ▁Empire ▁( D omin ate ). ▁With ▁a ▁decl ining ▁birth rate ▁and ▁population