Fief, in European feudal society, a vassal’s source of income, held from his lord in exchange for services . ... The fief normally consisted of land to which a number of unfree peasants were attached and was supposed to be sufficient to support the vassal and to secure his knight service for the lord.
What is an example of a fief?
An example of a fief is a legal practice the Middle Ages where society was built on relationships and classes . An example of a fief is a piece of land that is entrusted to someone for their use and the use of their heirs. An estate held of a superior on condition of military service.
What was called fief?
A fief (/fiːf/; Latin: feudum) was the central element of feudalism . It consisted of heritable property or rights granted by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty (or “in fee”) in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the personal ceremonies of homage and fealty.
What is a vassal and a fief?
Vassal, in feudal society, one invested with a fief in return for services to an overlord . ... In return, the lord had the right to demand the services attached to the fief (military, judicial, administrative) and a right to various “incomes” known as feudal incidents.
How many acres is a fief?
Knight’s Fee – In theory, a fief which provided sufficient revenue to equip and support one knight. This was approximately twelve hides or 1500 acres , although the term applies more to revenue a fief could generate than its size; it required about thirty marks per year to support a knight.
Who owns a fief?
Under the feudal system, a fief was a piece of land. This is short for fiefdom. Words that go along with fief are vassal and feudal lord; the lord (kind of like our landlords) owned the fief and the vassal was subject to all of his rules. If you were the lord of a fief, your tenant was your servant.
What is vassal king?
A vassal king is a king that owes allegiance to another king or emperor . This situation occurred in England after the Norman invasion of 1066. Duke...
What is the leader of a fief called?
In European feudalism, a fief was a source of income granted to a person (called a vassal ) by his lord in exchange for his services.
What is fief holding?
Fief-holding was the practice granting land to a vassal by the lord in return for loyalty and military services . Manorialism was the economic system under feudalism. It was based on manor – the agricultural land operated by lord and worked by peasants. Peasants work for lord and lord protects them.
Why is it called feudalism?
The word ‘feudalism’ derives from the medieval Latin terms feudalis, meaning fee, and feodum, meaning fief . The fee signified the land given (the fief) as a payment for regular military service.
Is a vassal a knight?
A knight was a member of the aristocratic elite who were trained from a young age to be expert fighters and swordsmen, while vassals were generally lords of noble houses who offered fealty and support to the reigning king.
What is another name for a vassal of the king?
Depending on the relationship it could be any number of names or titles, such as lord , nobleman, or helot.
Who called vassals?
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch , in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support by knights in exchange for certain privileges, usually including land held as a tenant or fief.
How big was a knight’s fee?
One knight’s fee, he said, was four carucates (or hides), each carucate was four virgates, and, he went on, each virgate was 25 acres. Which made 400 acres. A few centuries later, another measure had a virgate at 40 acres, or 640 to a knight’s fee.
What is a Lords land called?
A demesne (/dɪˈmeɪn/ di-MAYN) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support.
How big was a medieval fief?
Its size varied greatly, according to the income it could provide. It has been calculated that a fief needed 15 to 30 peasant families to maintain one knightly household. Fief sizes varied widely, ranging from huge estates and whole provinces to a plot of a few acres.
