The feudal system’s origins can be traced back to late Roman imperial practices of land tenure. The biggest difference between feudal and late Roman practices is the feudal system contained a military obligation in return for holding land.
           The kings and leaders of the early Carolingian empire maintained bands of fighting men known as comitati, these bands of fighting men evolved into the later aristocracy of the Frankish kingdom. In the early eighth century Charles Martel began the practice of granting lands known as benefices to retainers in return for specified terms of military service. These lands were not hereditary at first there retention being conditional on fulfillment of service, but over time they became hereditary.