Page:Outlines of European History.djvu/467

 The Age of Disorder ; Feudalism 397 These manors served to support their lords and left them free to busy themselves fighting with other landowners in the same position as themselves. Section 66. Feudal System Landholders who had large estates and could spare a por- Lord and tion of them were accustomed to grant some of their manors ^^^^^ to another person on condition that the one receiving the land would swear to be true to the giver, should fight for him on certain occasions, and should lend him aid when particular diffi- culties arose. It was in this way^that the relation of /(?r^ and vassal originated. The vassal who received the land pledged himself 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 arrangements between vassals The feudal and lords constituted what is called the feudal systef?i. ^^^ ^"^ The feudal system, or feudalism, was not established by Gradual de- any decree of a king or in virtue of any general agreement be- feudalism tween all the landowners. It grew up gradually and irregularly without any conscious plan on any one's part, simply because it seemed convenient and natural under the circumstances. The owner of vast estates found it to his advantage to par- cel them out among vassals, that is to say, men who agreed to accompany him to war, guard his castle upon occasion, and assist him when he was put to any unusually great expense. Land granted upon the terms mentioned was called a 7%/". One The fief 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 siize7'ain. The vassal of a vassal was called a subvassal. There was Vassal and still another way in which the number of vassals was increased. The owners of small estates were usually in a defenseless con- dition, unable to protect themselves against the attacks of the great nobles. They consequently often deemed it wise to put