▁this ▁period , ▁powerful ▁fe ud al ▁l ords ▁encourag ed ▁the ▁establishment ▁of ▁ser f dom ▁as ▁a ▁source ▁of ▁agricult ural ▁labor . ▁Ser f dom , ▁indeed , ▁was ▁an ▁institution ▁that ▁reflected ▁a ▁fairly ▁common ▁practice ▁where by ▁great ▁land l ords ▁ens ured ▁that ▁others ▁worked ▁to ▁feed ▁them ▁and ▁were ▁held ▁down , ▁leg ally ▁and ▁econom ically , ▁while ▁doing ▁so . ▁ ▁He yd ay ▁ ▁Ser f dom ▁as ▁a ▁system ▁provided ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁agricult ural ▁labour ▁throughout ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges . ▁S la very ▁pers isted ▁right ▁through ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges , ▁but ▁it ▁was ▁rare , ▁dimin ishing ▁and ▁largely ▁conf ined ▁to ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁household ▁slaves . ▁ ▁Part s ▁of ▁Europe , ▁including ▁much ▁of ▁Sc and in avia , ▁never ▁adopted ▁ser f dom . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁later ▁Middle ▁A ges ▁ser f dom ▁began ▁to ▁disappear ▁west ▁of ▁the ▁Rh ine ▁even ▁as ▁it ▁spread ▁through ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁Europe . ▁This ▁was ▁one ▁important ▁cause ▁for ▁the ▁deep ▁differences ▁between ▁the ▁soci eties ▁and ▁econom ies ▁of ▁eastern ▁and ▁western ▁Europe . ▁In ▁Western ▁Europe , ▁the ▁rise ▁of ▁powerful ▁monarch s , ▁towns , ▁and ▁an ▁impro ving ▁economy ▁weak ened ▁the ▁man orial ▁system ▁through ▁the ▁ 1 3 th ▁and ▁ 1 4 th ▁centuries ; ▁ser f dom ▁had ▁become ▁rare ▁by ▁ 1 4 0 0 . ▁▁ ▁Ser f dom ▁in ▁Western ▁Europe ▁came