A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch (the suzerain), 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 is the relationship between the lord and the vassal?
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 does a vassal do for a lord?
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 is the relationship and responsibilities between vassal and lord?
Vassals also had to give military service, aid, and counsel to his lord so that the trust and loyalty between the two parties would stay in affect. However, the lord had two responsibilities and they were to grant his vassal land, and act toward his vassal reciprocally in all things.
What is the relationship between a lord and a vassal in the Middle Ages?
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 the relationship between lords and vassals quizlet?
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.
What did it mean to be a vassal?
Definition of vassal
1 : a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he has vowed homage and fealty : a feudal tenant. 2 : one in a subservient or subordinate position.
What was the most important duty of a vassal to his lord?
The major obligation of a vassal to his lord was to perform military service and appear at four to give advice. the lord supported a vassal by granting him land but he also had to protect his vassal by defending him militarily or by taking his side in a dispute.
What is a vassal house?
The vassal houses, or minor houses, are noble houses that have sworn fealty to one of the Great Houses.
What are the relations between lords vassals fiefs and serfs?
The dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord’s land and give him homage, labour, and a share of the produce, …
What did lords and vassals do to help each other out?
Under the feudal system, what type of exchange took place between lords and vassals? Vassals gave their support and loyalty to their lords in exchange for a fief, a piece of land. How could a vassal become a lord? If a vassal gained enough land, he could give some to other knights and become a lord himself.
What was a vassal identify an example of a 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. An example of a vassal is a person who was given part of a lord’s land and who pledged himself to that lord.
What obligations did lords and vassals have under the feudal system?
What obligations did lords and vassals have under the feudal system? A lord granted his vassal a fief. The lord promised to protect his vassal. In return, the vassal pledged loyalty to his lord, as well as military service, money, payments and advice.
What was the role of vassals in feudalism?
Vassal Definition
In the feudal system, Medieval Vassals by definition were people granted the use of a King’s land in return for their services, which included homage, fealty, and military services equivalent to that of a lord. Vassals can also be referred to as “feudal tenants”.
What role did vassals play in feudal society?
What role did vassals play in the structure of feudalism? They served the lords in courts or the army. Vassals hired knights to defend the lord and his property, the vassals paid taxes to their lords in return for their fief.
