Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/293

 Age of Disorder: Feudalism 211 III. FEUDAL SYSTEM AND NEIGHBORHOOD WARFARE 337. Gradual Development of Feudalism. Landholders who had large estates often found it to their advantage to grant some of their manors to other persons on condition that those receiving the land should pledge themselves to accompany him to war, guard his castle upon oc- casion, and assist him when he was put to any unusually great expense. It was in this way that the relation of lord and vassal originated. The vassal who received the land promised to be true to his lord, and the lord, on the other hand, not only let his vassal have the land but agreed to protect him when it was necessary. These ar- rangements between vassals and lords constituted what is called the feudal system. The feudal system, or feu- dalism, was not established by any decree of a king or in virtue of a general agreement between all the landowners. It grew up gradually and irregularly simply because it seemed con- venient under the circumstances. Land granted upon these terms was called a fief. One who held a fief might himself become a lord by granting a portion of his fief to a vassal upon terms similar to those upon which he held his lands of his lord, or suzerain. The vassal of a vassal was called a subvassal. 338. Homage and Fidelity. The one proposing to become a vassal knelt before the lord and rendered him homage 1 by placing 1 " Homage " is derived from the Latin word homo, meaning " man." FORTIFIED GATE OF A MEDIEVAL CASTLE Here one can see the way in which the entrance to a castle was carefully pro- tected : the moat (A) ; the drawbridge (B); the portcullis (C)