Lord of the manorLord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seignory, the right to grant or draw benefit from the estate (for example, as a landlord). The title continues in modern England and Wales as a legally recognised form of property that can be held independently of its historical rights.
BaronBaron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, but lower than a viscount or count. Often, barons hold their fief – their lands and income – directly from the monarch. Barons are less often the vassals of other nobles. In many kingdoms, they were entitled to wear a smaller form of a crown called a coronet.
SerfdomSerfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed during the Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages in Europe and lasted in some countries until the mid-19th century. Unlike slaves, serfs could not be bought, sold, or traded individually though they could, depending on the area, be sold together with land.
ViscountA viscount (ˈvaɪkaʊnt , for male) or viscountess ('vaɪkaʊntɪs, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscountcy. In many countries, a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial position and did not develop into a hereditary title until much later. In the case of French viscounts, it is customary to leave the title untranslated as vicomte vi.kɔ̃t.
VassalA vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. The rights and obligations of a vassal are called vassalage, while the rights and obligations of a suzerain are called suzerainty. The obligations of a vassal often included military support by knights in exchange for certain privileges, usually including land held as a tenant or fief.
Hereditary peerThe hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2023, there are 806 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 110 viscounts, and 443 barons (not counting subsidiary titles). Not all hereditary titles are titles of the peerage. For instance, baronets and baronetesses may pass on their titles, but they are not peers. Conversely, the holder of a non-hereditary title may belong to the peerage, as with life peers.
Land tenureIn common law systems, land tenure, from the French verb "tenir" means "to hold", is the legal regime in which land owned by an individual is possessed by someone else who is said to "hold" the land, based on an agreement between both individuals. It determines who can use land, for how long and under what conditions. Tenure may be based both on official laws and policies, and on informal local customs (insofar higher law does allow that).
Commendation ceremonyA commendation ceremony (commendatio) is a formal ceremony that evolved during the Early Medieval period to create a bond between a lord and his fighting man, called his vassal. The first recorded ceremony of commendatio was in 7th century France, but the relationship of vassalage was older, and predated even the medieval formulations of a noble class. The lord's "man", might be born unfree, but the commendatio freed him. When two men entered into a feudal relationship, they underwent the ceremony.
PrimogeniturePrimogeniture (,praɪmə'dʒɛnɪtʃər,_-oʊ-) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relative. In most contexts, it means the inheritance of the firstborn son (agnatic primogeniture); it can also mean by the firstborn daughter (matrilineal primogeniture), or firstborn child (absolute primogeniture).
FeoffmentIn the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment ˈfɛfmənt or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of title in land by a system in which a landowner would give land to one person for the use of another. The common law of estates in land grew from this concept. The word feoffment derives from the Old French feoffement or fieffement; compare with the Late Latin feoffamentum.
