What were vassals and lords?

What were vassals and lords?

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. The obligations and corresponding rights between lord and vassal concerning the fief formed the basis of the feudal relationship.

Who were vassals feudalism?

Vassal, in feudal society, one invested with a fief in return for services to an overlord. Some vassals did not have fiefs and lived at their lord’s court as his household knights. Certain vassals who held their fiefs directly from the crown were tenants in chief and formed the most important feudal group, the barons.

What was the vassalage system?

Vassalage is a kind of feudal system who is obliged to follow his lord or monarch. The obligation may be in the form of military support when required or mutual protection in return to certain privileges.

What’s a serf?

A serf is a person who is forced to work on a plot of land, especially during the medieval period when Europe practiced feudalism, when a few lords owned all the land and everyone else had to toil on it. The Latin root of the word is servus, which literally means “slave,” but serf and slave are not synonyms.

What were the responsibilities of a lord in medieval times?

Lords and Knights – The lords ran the local manors. They also were the king’s knights and could be called into battle at any moment by their Baron. The lords owned everything on their land including the peasants, crops, and village. Most of the people living in the Middle Ages were peasants.

What was the nobles role in the feudal system?

Nobles provided work, land, and protection to the peasants while providing funding, supplies, and military service to the king. Most people were peasants, and, under the feudal system of the era, were beholden to and in debt to the nobles for whom they worked.

What were lords and ladies?

These rulers, who were next in charge after the king, were known as lords, and their wives were known as ladies. This system of sharing the power worked out well for the lords and also for the king. The lords gained a large piece of land, known as a fief, and the power to rule it.

What made lords and ladies so powerful?

With their moats, strong walls, and gates, they were built for defense. Finally, their large size and central locations made castles visual reminders of the social hierarchy and the power of the ruling classes.