The middle ages were far more democratic than our modern enlightened times. Canadian historian Francis Dupuis-Déri writing in the book "Démocratie: Histoire politique d’un mot aux États-Unis et en France." 
Today this sort of democracy would be unthinkable. Can you even imagine voting on what crops to be grown, where to place the solar panels, what roads to fund, whom to serve in the local police and what to do with the local poor and elderly? What to teach the local children?
Medieval society was a patchwork of different hierarchies, legal systems, and traditions. Organic and alive.
It was not that this organic form of communal life was impractical or impossible in any way, what destroyed it was repeated attacks from the state. If we today can not replicate what our medieval ancestors managed as a matter of course, can we really talk of progress?
My own poor translation from the book, by Francis Dupuis-Déri. Démocratie: Histoire politique d’un mot aux États-Unis et en France. Recommended.
Us moderns have this notion of parliaments and assemblies being places of expression of democracy. Historically this has never been the case.
