Page:The history of medieval Europe.djvu/286

 242 THE HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE of small fiefs of little political importance; in Germany the inclination was to divide the fief among all the sons. To receive a fief one must enter into a personal bond with the one who grants the fief. One must do homage and The feudal swear fealty to him; one must recognize him as bond; lord one's lord and promise to be his faithful vassal, and vassa ^ e ce remony of homage consisted in kneeling before the lord and placing one's hands in his as a symbol of the feudal bond. The oath of fidelity might be a general assurance of loyalty or cover specific services. The feudal service rendered by a vassal to his lord varied greatly with such circumstances as the size and value of the Military fief held and the relative power and position of andcourt the two parties. At first the services were per- attendance haps not definitely stated and even later the matter was a frequent source of dispute and strife between the two parties. But gradually in most fiefs feudal services came to be fixed by custom or by written agreement. It was generally understood that the holder of a fief should not be required to perform any servile or menial duties, but only honorable service proper for a freeman, a warrior, and a holder of considerable property. The chief form of service was military, and forty days in the year was frequently the amount of service required. In addition to fighting for his lord in the field and mounting guard in his castles, the vassal was generally required at stated seasons to attend his lord's court, where his presence contributed to the lord's social prestige and aided him in building up something akin to political power. At court the vassal might be called upon to counsel his lord, or to help decide disputes between other vassals or between another vassal and the lord. He might also have some ceremonial function to perform, such as waiting upon his lord at table, lighting his way with a candle as he went to bed, or counting his chessmen on Christ- mas Day. Such services were not considered humiliating and seldom involved much work. We even hear of a vassal of the King of England whose privilege and duty it was to support the royal head during a rough passage of the