In the Middle Ages, the best resource of the peasant was his immediate family; backed up by the Catholic Church and its charitable organizations in the West.

While life and other insurance had existed in ancient Rome, the medieval peasant was too poor to afford stuff like that and there was little life insurance in the modern form in Europe at the time. But the Church took its place for poor relief and to feed those who were disabled.

In some regions, a man could give all his money and possessions to the Church; in return it would house him, feed him, and care for him for the rest of his life.

In Islamic lands a sort of welfare state was present, with governments establishing poor relief; examples being the waqf system in Turkish and Arab lands.

Modern insurance started to come along after about 1550, when accounting and statistical methods saw better development.