As you're slogging through the minutiae of a real estate transaction, you might take a moment to reflect on what real estate was like in medieval times and be grateful for your lot in life.

English land ownership laws are what have primarily influenced North American property law. And English land ownership was forever changed by William I of England, also known as William the Conqueror.

In 1066, William came thundering into England and, after a bloody Battle of Hastings, proclaimed himself owner of all English land. Every last chunk of turf was his.

Like any good landowner, William saw the profit potential in leasing land to select people, and that's exactly what he did.

The lords he issued the land to saw the same opportunity. In return for protection and certain rights, people were willing to be sworn in as 'vassals' - people who exchanged goods and services with the lord in return for a place to live and the opportunity to make a living.

Think of William as the government, disbursing land to qualified people. The lords are property owners and the vassals are renters. It's a lot more complicated than that, of course, but the basics are very similar.

Just like today, land ownership meant power. A landlord had the power over rents and what he would accept from the people who rented from him. However, he also had obligations to his tenants. Ideally, this meant protection and support during a lean time for the tenant and a substantial income for the lord.

Today, it's more making sure the building is up to code and that damage is repaired. You are generally not required to hunt wolves or make sure that highwaymen are hunted down and killed. You also don't often have to dabble in matters of law unrelated to your real estate.

If you're a woman, you don't have to deal with property and inheritance law that overwhelmingly favor the male sex. You also won't see your property automatically get whisked away into your husband's name, along with the income.

Penalties for certain types of crime no longer include torture! There were a variety of inventive methods of causing pain that medieval society instituted to encourage people to not repeat the actions of the convicted.

So, think positively the next time you have to sit down to a pile of paperwork or drive to yet another house showing. It could be much, much worse.

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