Feudalism

Feudalism is a set of political and social arrangements organized around landholding, personal bonds, and reciprocal obligations, especially in medieval Europe.

Fief: A grant of land or revenue held in return for service or loyalty. Fiefs supplied the material basis for many lord-vassal relationships.
Lord: A person who held authority over land and people, often granting rights or protection to dependents. Lords granted holdings and received service within feudal relationships.
Late Roman Empire: The Roman state in its later centuries, before its western imperial government ended in the fifth century. Late Roman landholding and military practices formed part of the inherited setting.
Feudal revolution: A historiographical thesis that European lordship and social order transformed rapidly around the year 1000. The thesis challenges gradual accounts of how feudal arrangements emerged.
Vassal: A person who held land or rights from a superior in return for obligations. Vassals occupied the subordinate position in feudal bonds.
Investiture: The formal conferral of an office, title, or fief, often marked by a symbolic act. Investiture made a grant of tenure publicly recognizable.
Frankish Empire: A western European empire ruled by the Franks, reaching its greatest extent under Charlemagne. Frankish rulers used grants and personal ties that later historians connect to feudal development.
Feudalism debate: A historical debate over whether feudalism names a coherent medieval system or a later analytical construction. Historians dispute the category used to group diverse medieval practices.
Homage: A formal ceremony through which a vassal acknowledged a lord and entered a personal bond. Homage publicly established the relationship behind a landholding.
Feudal levy: A military force raised by rulers or lords from vassals and other obligated subjects. Military service was one of the obligations that landholding could require.

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