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Glite Dictionary
🏰 Feudal allegiance 🤴 Feudal vassal
feudatory

feudatory

9.9
A person who holds land and owes loyalty and service to a lord
  • noun
  • /ˈfjuːdəˌtɔri/
translation icon : vasallo
  • Many medieval kingdoms consisted of numerous feudatory states owing allegiance to the monarch.

Examples

  • The rights and duties of a feudatory were defined by the feudal system.

  • The feudatory was required to provide military service to his liege lord.

  • The feudatory pledged loyalty to his lord.

  • Many feudatories served under the king during the Middle Ages.

  • The local lord granted land to his feudatory, who promised to provide military support.

  • As a feudatory, she was required to pay taxes and serve her liege lord.

  • The rights and responsibilities of each feudatory were clearly outlined in the feudal contract.

Synonyms

vassal
vsfeudatory
7 9.9

A person in the Middle Ages who holds land from a lord and must fight for him

emphasizes holding a fief and owing service to a feudal lord
liege
vsfeudatory
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who holds land and must give loyalty and service to a lord

highlights the specific landholding and formal feudal duty involved
liege subject
vsfeudatory
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who owes loyalty and service to a lord in medieval times

focuses on the landholder role and the duty to a feudal lord
liegeman
vsfeudatory
  • Archaic
9.9

A man who promises to serve and be loyal to a lord

adds that this role specifically involves holding a fief and obligations

Surface Forms

feudatory singular
feudatories plural

Morphology

feudatory = feudal (opaque) = feud + atory

The connection to 'feudal' is not immediately clear due to the specialized historical context.

Etymology

Feudatory comes from an old Latin word feudum meaning 'fief' or 'land given in return for service', and it is the same root as feudal and fief. So a feudatory as a noun is a person or state that holds such land and must give service and loyalty to a lord.