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The highest liege lord was the sovereign, the king or duke, who granted fiefs to his princes. the lord could not, by law, beat his vassal, humiliate or lay hands on his wife or daughter. Furthermore, feudal lord and vassal were bound to mutually respect one another, e.g. Both pledged mutual loyalty: the lord to "shelter and protect", the vassal to "help and advise". holding his stirrup, joining him on festive occasions and service as a cupbearer at the banquet table. It obliged the feudatory to render personal services to the lord. įeudalism in Europe emerged in the Early Middle Ages, based on Roman clientship and the Germanic social hierarchy of lords and retainers. In Germany the system is variously referred to Lehnswesen, Feudalwesen or Benefizialwesen. JSTOR ( August 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)įeudalism in the Holy Roman Empire was a politico-economic system of relationships between liege lords and enfeoffed vassals (or feudatories) that formed the basis of the social structure within the Holy Roman Empire during the High Middle Ages.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Feudalism in the Holy Roman Empire" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
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