Vocabulary:

Feudal System: The social, economic, and political structure during medieval times where land was exchanged for loyalty and service.

Vassal: A person who received land from a lord in exchange for military or other service.

Liege Lord: The superior lord to whom a vassal owes allegiance.

Fief: The estate or piece of land granted by a lord to a vassal.

Homage: The formal act of allegiance a vassal gives to his lord.

Serf: A peasant bound to the land, working for the lord.

Duke/Count: Titles of nobility that controlled large areas of land within the feudal hierarchy.

Manor: The lord's estate, including the village and surrounding land.

Knight: A mounted soldier who served a lord in exchange for land or payment.

Vassalage: The relationship between a lord and his vassal based on loyalty and service.

Source:

Source A: Excerpt from a Norman Charter 'The lord grants land to his vassal in exchange for military service, establishing a hierarchal relationship based on loyalty and landholding.' Provenance: Medieval document issued by William the Conqueror, 1066.