Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Feude is an old word that means a type of land ownership where the person who owns the land has to do things for the person who gave them the land. It can also mean a big fight between families or clans, especially if someone was killed. In the past, these fights were sometimes allowed by the law. Feude can also be spelled as feud, fief, or fee.
Definition: Feude is a term related to feudalism, which refers to a heritable estate in land conveyed from a feudal superior to a grantee or tenant, held on the condition of rendering services to the superior. It can also refer to an enmity or private war existing between families or clans, especially as a result of a murder.
These examples illustrate the different types of feuds that existed in feudal societies. The impartible feud was an estate that could not be divided, while the improper feud was a nonmilitary feud that was considered base or servile. The proper feud was based on military service, and the blood feud was a state of hostility between families that sought revenge for a murder. These examples show how feuds were an important part of feudal societies and how they could take on different forms depending on the circumstances.