Legal Definitions - feude

Feude

Feude is an archaic term for a feud or fief. In historical legal systems, particularly under feudalism, a feude referred to a grant of land made by a lord (a superior) to a vassal (a subordinate). This grant was not an outright transfer of ownership but rather a conditional holding. In exchange for the use and income from the land, the vassal owed specific services, loyalty, and homage to the lord. These services often included military service, but could also involve administrative duties, financial contributions, or other forms of support. The feude would typically revert to the lord if the vassal failed to uphold their obligations or if the vassal's lineage died out.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of a feude:

• Example 1: Military Service
  A powerful duke, needing to bolster his army, grants a large tract of fertile farmland to a skilled knight. In return for this feude, the knight pledges to provide 30 armed soldiers for the duke's army whenever called upon and to personally lead them in battle. This arrangement ensures the duke has a standing military force, while the knight gains land and status.

  Explanation: This illustrates a feude because the land (farmland) is granted by a lord (the duke) to a vassal (the knight) in exchange for military service, which was a common and crucial obligation under a feude. The knight does not own the land outright but holds it conditionally based on fulfilling his military duties.

• Example 2: Administrative Duties
  A king bestows a small village and its surrounding forests upon a trusted advisor. The advisor, in turn, promises to manage the village's affairs, collect taxes on behalf of the king, and ensure justice is administered according to royal decrees. This feude provides the advisor with resources and authority, while the king benefits from efficient local governance.

  Explanation: Here, the village and forests represent the feude granted by the king (the lord) to his advisor (the vassal). The exchange is for administrative services and tax collection, demonstrating that obligations for a feude were not exclusively military but could include various forms of service to the lord.

• Example 3: Loyalty and Defense
  A baron, seeking to secure his remote borderlands, grants a strategic hilltop castle and its surrounding lands to a local chieftain. The chieftain, in return for this feude, pledges unwavering loyalty to the baron, promises to defend the castle against any invaders, and publicly performs an act of homage, acknowledging the baron as his superior.

  Explanation: This example shows a feude involving a strategic asset (the castle and land) granted by a baron (the lord) to a chieftain (the vassal). The primary obligations are loyalty, defense, and homage, highlighting the personal and hierarchical nature of the feude system where allegiance and protection were paramount.