There were several key periods that changed the face of society, such as: from the nomadic lifestyle of hunter-gatherers to agriculture, to classical antiquities, to the revival of Middle Ages, the Reformation and modern times. In a lecture on history and social change at the University of Abertay Dundee, W Mcneish describes history as a "contested terrain in which the historian's views give their perception of events". This essay will discuss the key characteristics of the feudal period and the key processes leading to the transition of this society from a sociological perspective covering: the rise of feudalism, the hierarchical structure of feudal Europe, the feudal mode of production, urban life, the role of religion and finally, the decline of the feudal period. Harman (2008) explains how Rome ruled its empire in the West and the East. for 600 and 1600 years respectively. The Western Empire's slave economy collapsed in 410 AD, ending Roman governance. Germanic invaders settled the land and the Dark Ages followed. Rome's legacy was the Roman Catholic Church, whose power and influence became part of the feudal ruling class. Anderson (1978) suggests that feudalism emerged in the 10th century, with France preceding it. Feudal Europe was structured as follows: - The King at the top of society was the Feudal Lord, the divine monarch ordained by God giving law. The barons swore deference to the king by providing him with knights for battle and in return the king gave them land. The Church also perceived the king as a feudal lord providing it with knights. At the bottom of society were the Villeins (Serfs) legally known as free men but tied to the lord, paying him feudal dues (surplus) in exchange for the piece of land........middle of paper..... . broadcast) BBC4. April 24. 9:00 p.m. Bartlett, A., 2008. “Belief” in the medieval mind, (television broadcast) BBC4. May 1, 9:00 p.m. Bartlett, A., 2008. “Power” Inside the Medieval mind, (BBC4 TV broadcast. May 8. 9:00 p.m. Black, J (eds). 2000. Encyclopedia of World History. UK: Parragon.Harmon, C. 2008 A People's History of the World. London: VersoHughes, B., 2010. The Seven Ages of Britain, (TV broadcast 26 March). Marsh, I. Keating, M. Punch, S. Harden, J (eds.) 2009. Sociology, making sense of society 4th ed. London: Pearson education ltd. Osborne, R. 2007. Civilization, a new history of the West. world London: Vintage.Schama, S. 2008 “A history of Great Britain” (TV broadcast April 30, 9 p.m.).).