What Is A Vassal In The Middle Ages

The fief was the basic unit above the basic farms and was run by a vassal.

Vassals in the middle ages the term vassal originated with the emergence of feudalism during the medieval era of the middle ages not to be confused with a villein who was a peasant. The word vassal is believed to have been derived from the medieval latin term vassallus the roman and latin term vassus meaning servant and the celtic and welsh term gwas which means a young man who is a servant or feudal tenant. Some vassals did not have fiefs and lived at their lord s court as his household knights. An example of a vassal is a subordinant or.

Certain vassals who held their fiefs directly from the crown were tenants in chief and formed the most important feudal group the barons. 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. A vassal typical held land in return for military service to the one above him. In the middle ages a nobleman owned a number of fiefs.

King william the conqueror used the concept of feudalism to reward his norman supporters or vassals for their help in the conquest of england. So a baron likely. Middle ages feudalism was based on the exchange of land for military service. Homage was essentially the acknowledgment of the bond of tenure that existed between the two.

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Vassal in feudal society one invested with a fief in return for services to an overlord. The obligations often included military support by knights in exchange for certain privileges usually including land held as a tenant or fief. The term is also applied to similar arrangements in other feudal societies. An example of a vassal is a person who was given part of a lord s land and who pledged himself to that lord.

So a baron would be vassal to his lord and so on. If the vassal broke this contract the lord would have to get the approval of a court made up of the vassal s peers before he could proceed to a punishment such as depriving the vassal of his fief forfeiture. In his turn the lord was understood to owe protection and justice to his vassal. The definition of a vassal was someone in feudal times who received protection and land from a lord in return for allegiance and performing military and other duties or someone who is subordinate.

The feudal system was established in england following the norman conquest in 1066. The land belonging to the english was taken and given to norman knights and nobles. Vassals in the middle ages were an integral part of feudalism which was the system of government throughout europe in the middle ages. The vassal also swore fealty fidelity to his lord.

Homagium hominium homage and fealty in european society solemn acts of ritual by which a person became a vassal of a lord in feudal society. In contrast fealty was sworn unconditional loyalty to a monarch.