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fief
fief (or fee). An estate held by feudal tenure from a lord—in the case of tenants-in-chief the obligation was knight service to the king. In the early Norman period, some 2,500 knights were required. The archbishop of Canterbury was to provide 60, the abbot of Peterborough 60, the abbot of Bury St Edmunds 40: Robert of Gloucester was to provide 100, the honour of Totnes some 75. A five-hide unit was usually regarded as sufficient to maintain a knight, though it varied according to the character of the estate. The tenant-in-chief usually subcontracted to his own vassals and any shortfall in the number of knights needed would be made up by a personal retinue, directly supported by the lord and acting as a bodyguard if necessary. There were also uncommitted knights and mercenaries whom William the Conqueror and his successors employed to augment numbers. As the cost of maintaining horse and armour rose, the complement of the feudal levy declined and the proportion of hired men increased.
J. A. Cannon |
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JOHN CANNON. "fief." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "fief." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-fief.html JOHN CANNON. "fief." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-fief.html |
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fief
fief (or fee). An estate held by feudal tenure from a lord—in the case of tenants‐in‐chief the obligation was knight service to the king. In the early Norman period, some 2,500 knights were required. The archbishop of Canterbury was to provide 60, the abbot of Bury St Edmunds 40: Robert of Gloucester was to provide 100, the honour of Totnes some 75. The tenant‐in‐chief usually subcontracted to his own vassals. As the cost of maintaining horse and armour rose, the complement of the feudal levy declined, and the proportion of hired men increased.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "fief." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "fief." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-fief.html JOHN CANNON. "fief." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-fief.html |
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fief
fief The land held under the FEUDAL SYSTEM by a VASSAL from his lord. Fiefs ranged in size from vast duchies down to the area of land needed to support a single knight, called a knight's ‘fee’. Large or small, they provided the agricultural produce which was the source of all wealth. During the early Middle Ages areas which had been forest or barren land came under cultivation and were incorporated into the system.
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Cite this article
"fief." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fief." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-fief.html "fief." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-fief.html |
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fief
fief / fēf/ • n. 1. hist. an estate of land, esp. one held on condition of feudal service. 2. a person's sphere of operation or control. |
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"fief." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fief." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fief.html "fief." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-fief.html |
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fief
fief feudal estate. XVII. — (O)F. fief FEE.
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T. F. HOAD. "fief." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "fief." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-fief.html T. F. HOAD. "fief." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-fief.html |
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fief
fief see feudalism . |
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"fief." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fief." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-fief.html "fief." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-fief.html |
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fief
fief
•aperitif, beef, belief, brief, chief, enfeoff, fief, grief, interleaf, leaf, Leif, lief, Mazar-e-Sharif, misbelief, motif, naif, O'Keeffe, reef, seif, Sharif, sheaf, shereef, sportif, Tenerife, thief
•tea leaf • fig leaf • bas-relief • flyleaf
•drop-leaf • broadleaf • cloverleaf
•massif • leitmotif
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"fief." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "fief." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-fief.html "fief." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-fief.html |
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