What did the vassal do in feudalism?

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.

What did vassals do in medieval Europe?

In the feudal system, medieval vassals were expected to perform certain duties, render services in exchange for the fiefs that were awarded to them. Primarily, vassals were considered second in command to whomever directs the estate, be it a Lord or the King.

What did the vassal give the lord?

Vassals gave their support and loyalty to their lords in exchange for a fief, a piece of land. If a vassal gained enough land, he could give some to other knights and become a lord himself.

What were the relationships between lords and vassals?

What was the relationship between lords and vassals? They had mutual obligations. Lords provided land and protection while vassals provided money, advice, loyalty and military service.

How did the relationship between a lord and his vassals affect that between vassals and the king?

If a lord acted in the service of a king, the lord was considered a vassal of the king. As part of the feudal agreement, the lord promised to protect the vassal and provided the vassal with a plot of land. This land could be passed on to the vassal’s heirs, giving the vassal tenure over the land.

What did a vassal do for his lord?

Under the feudal contract, the lord had the duty to provide the fief for his vassal, to protect him, and to do him justice in his court. 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.

What was a vassal required to pay to their lord?

Under the feudal contract, the lord had the duty to provide the fief for his vassal, to protect him, and to do him justice in his court. The vassal owed fealty to his lord.

Are lords and vassals the same thing?

A lord was in broad terms a noble who held land, a vassal was a person who was granted possession of the land by the lord, and a fief was what the land was known as. In exchange for the use of the fief and the protection of the lord, the vassal would provide some sort of service to the lord.

What was the role of a vassal in the feudal system?

Generally, military aid and security was the reasoning behind a lord entering a feudal relationship in the first place. Also, the vassal had to keep his other responsibilities, which included tending to the manor, assisting the lord at court, and overseeing the serfs and peasants on the manor.

What is the nature of the feudal system of ownership?

In its origin, the feudal grant of land had been seen in terms of a personal bond between lord and vassal, but with time and the transformation of fiefs into hereditary holdings, the nature of the system came to be seen as a form of “politics of land” (an expression used by the historian Marc Bloch).

What is feudalism according to Ganshof?

In a classic definition by François-Louis Ganshof (1944), feudalism describes a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the warrior nobility, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals and fiefs, though Ganshof himself noted that his treatment related only to the “narrow, technical,…

What were the customs of the feudal court?

Feudal court customs varied depending on time, place, and the type of lord. For example, a King’s feudal court was, naturally, much different than a knight’s. Vassals in the Middle Ages took an oath to their Master that ensured their life-long service. This oath was known as the Oath of Fealty.