What were vassals and what did they do?
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support by knights in exchange for certain privileges, usually including land held as a tenant or fief.
What was the role of the vassal?
A vassal’s main duty was to be the assistant, or second in command, to whomever their direct feudal lord was. Because they had so many responsibilities, vassals in the Middle Ages were given more authority and lands. Another important duty of a vassal was to attend to his feudal lord during court.
What were 3 duties of the vassals?
Vassals had many duties:
- Acting as the second in command of the lord and/or king.
- Managing the lord’s manor and its entire estate.
- Supervising the day to day tasks completed by manor’s residents (mainly peasants)
- Attending to his lord or king, specifically while the court was in session.
What did vassals do with their land?
A lord was in broad terms a noble who held land, a vassal was a person who was granted possession of the land by the lord, and a fief was what the land was known as. In exchange for the use of the fief and the protection of the lord, the vassal would provide some sort of service to the lord.
What was the main duty of a vassal?
Vassals either lived in the castle of their feudal lord or they sometimes had the privilege of owning their own manor. Responsibilities of a Vassal in the Middle Ages. A vassal’s main duty was to be the assistant, or second in command, to whomever their direct feudal lord was.
What did the Lord provide for the vassals?
Usually the vassal provided soldiers to the lord. The lord used his army of soldiers from all of his vassals to protect those vassals. The lord also gave him the piece of land that he held as a fief.
What was the major role of the vassals?
One of the most important duties of vassals in the Middle ages was to maintain the manor of their feudal lord and watch over the day to day activities in the manor. Because they had so many responsibilities, vassals in the Middle Ages were given more authority and lands.
What did vassals pledge to?
A person became a vassal by pledging political allegiance and providing military, political, and financial service to a lord. A lord possessed complete sovereignty over land, or acted in the service of another sovereign, usually a king. If a lord acted in the service of a king, the lord was considered a vassal of the king.