In medieval times, land ownership was the foundation of power in society. Lords and knights governed their lands and people with the help of vassals who swore loyalty and provided military service in exchange for protection and land. However, when a lord needed more land or wanted to extend his influence, he could offer a knight to become a sub-vassal to a more powerful lord in exchange for a new fief.
This agreement was known as “subinfeudation” or “subinfeudation of a fief.” The knight, also called a mesne lord, would receive land from his lord and then grant a portion of it to his own vassals, who would owe him loyalty and military aid. The mesne lord thus became a sub-lord or intermediate lord between his own lord and his vassals.
Subinfeudation was a complex system that created a hierarchy of lords and vassals, with each level owing service and protection to the level above. The more powerful lords could benefit from having more loyal followers and expanding their territories, while the lesser lords could gain new fiefs and increase their status.
However, subinfeudation also had its drawbacks. It could lead to fragmentation of lands and power, as more and more sub-lords emerged and divided the original fief. It could also create conflicts of allegiance, as a knight who owed loyalty to multiple lords might have to choose which one to support in times of war or dispute.
Subinfeudation was gradually abolished in England and other European countries in the 13th and 14th centuries, as kings and central governments sought to strengthen their control over the realm and reduce the power of the nobility. However, some remnants of the system survived in feudal law and customs, and the concept of sub-vassalage still resonates in modern times as a symbol of hierarchical relationships and obligations.
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