Legal Definitions - liege

The term liege is a historical concept primarily associated with feudal systems, describing a relationship of profound loyalty and service.

It can refer to two main roles within this relationship:

• A liege lord (or simply liege): A sovereign, monarch, or feudal superior who is entitled to the unwavering allegiance and service of their subjects or vassals.
• A liege man or liege vassal (or simply liege): A subject or vassal who owes absolute loyalty, service, and fealty to their lord or sovereign. This allegiance was considered paramount, overriding any other loyalties.

The act of formally pledging this supreme loyalty was often called liege homage.

Examples:

• Example 1 (Liege Lord): During the medieval period, a powerful Duke of Normandy might have been considered the liege lord to numerous counts and barons within his territory. These lesser nobles swore an oath of fealty directly to him, promising military support and counsel above all other allegiances. In return, the Duke offered protection and granted them land.

  This illustrates "liege lord" because the Duke was the superior figure to whom absolute loyalty and service were owed by his vassals.

• Example 2 (Liege Vassal): Imagine a skilled knight in 12th-century France who pledged himself entirely to a particular Baron. This knight would be the Baron's liege man, committed to fighting for him, defending his castles, and advising him in council, even if it meant forsaking other, lesser loyalties. His oath to the Baron was considered his primary duty.

  This demonstrates "liege man" as the knight is the vassal who owes the highest degree of loyalty and service to his specific feudal superior.

• Example 3 (Liege Homage): When the King of Scotland formally acknowledged the King of England as his feudal superior for certain lands he held in England, he would perform liege homage. This involved a public ceremony where the Scottish king would kneel before the English monarch, place his hands in the English king's, and declare himself his "man," pledging absolute loyalty and specific services, such as military aid, for those particular territories.

  This exemplifies "liege homage" as a formal act where one sovereign (the King of Scotland) publicly and unequivocally pledges supreme allegiance and service to another (the King of England) for specific holdings, establishing a liege relationship.