Feudalism provided for the security of the people of medieval Europe because each individual landlord protected the people on his land. Europe was divided into separate sections, called fiefs, which were presided over by a landlord who had laborers, or serfs, and knights living on his lands. The knights, who had pledged loyalty to the landlords in exchange for land, would fight in wars and protect the serfs and others on the fief from bandits and other dangers. Feudalism also helped the king retain power, because, so long as the majority of the landlords supported him, he could easily put down any rebellions.
Over the period of the Atlantic Slave Trade, from approximately 1526 to 1867, some 12.5 million slaves were shipped from Africa, and 10.7 million arrived in the Americas.