> Agricultural surpluses were skimmed by the church and the feudal lords It's honestly amazing how this was the norm for so much of our history, given how much

> Agricultural surpluses were skimmed by the church and the feudal lords It's honestly amazing how this was the norm for so much of our history, given how much it demotivates the villages from growing more produce, which in turn means the lords can't get any more of it either (unless they wage constant wars against their peers, which they naturally did).