Legal Definitions - subinfeudatory

Term: Subinfeudatory

Definition: A subinfeudatory is a historical legal term referring to a person who holds land from another tenant, rather than directly from the ultimate sovereign or primary lord. In essence, they are a "tenant of a tenant" within a hierarchical system of land ownership, common in feudal societies, where land grants could be made in a chain of dependency.

Examples:

• Example 1: Imagine a King who grants a large estate to a powerful Duke. The Duke, in turn, decides to grant a portion of that estate, perhaps a specific manor, to a loyal Baron in exchange for military service. The Baron then grants a smaller parcel of land within that manor to a Knight, who pledges fealty and service directly to the Baron.

  Explanation: In this scenario, the Knight is the subinfeudatory. The Knight holds land from the Baron, who holds from the Duke, who holds from the King. The Knight does not hold directly from the King or even the Duke, but from an intermediate tenant (the Baron).

• Example 2: During medieval times, a wealthy Earl might hold vast territories directly from the Crown. To manage these lands and secure local support, the Earl might grant a specific castle and its surrounding villages to a trusted Lord. This Lord, needing to populate and defend his new holdings, then grants individual plots of farmland and cottages to various peasant families, who owe him rent and labor.

  Explanation: Here, the peasant families are the subinfeudatories. They hold their land and dwellings from the trusted Lord, who holds from the Earl, who holds from the Crown. Their direct landlord is the Lord, not the Earl or the Crown.

• Example 3: Consider a situation where a high-ranking ecclesiastical figure, such as an Abbot, holds extensive lands granted by a monarch for the support of his monastery. The Abbot, to ensure the cultivation and defense of these lands, might grant a section of forest and arable land to a local Reeve (a manor official) in exchange for the Reeve's administrative services and a share of the harvest. The Reeve then allows several free tenants to settle and farm specific fields within that section, in return for annual payments and labor.

  Explanation: The free tenants are the subinfeudatories in this example. They hold their farming rights and plots from the Reeve, who holds from the Abbot, who holds from the monarch. Their immediate landlord is the Reeve, placing them lower in the feudal chain of landholding.