Fiefdom

In feudalism, a fiefdom (also called a fief, feud, feoff, or fee) was a property or right that an overlord gave a vassal in exchange for military service. This property, of whatever size, could be inherited by the man's heirs.Susan Reynolds, Fiefs and Vassals (Oxford; New York: The Clarendon Press, 2001), p. 69  However, not only land but anything of value could be held in fee, including a political office, hunting or fishing rights or monopolies in trade. A fief included the right of possession of something but with conditions. Carl Stephenson, Mediaeval Feudalism (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1956), p. 23

References

Category:Middle Ages