Bastard feudalism was the system of rule that succeeded the feudal system in medieval Europe. The change came during the 14th century.
In feudalism, the lord of the manor was given his land by a baron or by the king in exchange for knight service. This allowed the king to wage war when needed without personal expense. The downside was that the lords had to fight, and maybe die. With bastard feudalism, instead of knight service, the lords paid money to the king, and he used that money to hire soldiers when needed. These soldiers were presumably mercenaries, and much more expendable then the knights who help rule the king's land.
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