Feudalism developed in Western Europe following the collapse of the Roman political order. As Roman rule gave way to anarchy in the 5th century, kings had to rely more on local nobles to administer their kingdoms, granting them land in exchange for military service. This led to the decentralization of political power as nobles subdivided their lands among lesser nobles. Though this system led to instability and conflict at first, feudalism provided some defense against raids and invasions in the absence of strong central government. By 1000 AD feudalism had established a degree of stability in Western Europe, setting the stage for renewed civilization in the High Middle Ages.