feudatory
feudatory — adjective
- feudatorypositive
- more feudatorycomparative
- most feudatorysuperlative
1. describing the relationship in which a vassal pledges loyalty and service to a l
describing the relationship in which a vassal pledges loyalty and service to a lord in exchange for protection and the right to use land.
Ayesha examined the feudatory agreements that bound local knights to the baron.
feudatory agreements bound [vassal] to [lord]
Under feudatory law, a vassal could not transfer his land without the lord's consent.
The feudatory obligations included forty days of military service each year.
Sayaka traced her family lineage back to a feudatory knight who fought at the Battle of Hastings.
- suzerain
refers to the lord who holds authority, not the vassal who owes it
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used when discussing medieval European social structures. Not a modern legal term.
2. describes a country or territory that is under the political authority of a more
describes a country or territory that is under the political authority of a more powerful foreign state while remaining partly self-governing.
Salma argued that the small kingdom was little more than a feudatory state under imperial control.
feudatory state under [foreign power]
The treaty formally recognised the island as a feudatory territory of the empire.
Historians describe the region as a feudatory province that paid tribute every harvest season.
Minh studied how the buffer zone operated as a feudatory territory between two rival empires.
- sovereign
describes a state with full independence and self-government
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (FEUDAL ALLEGIANCE): sense 1 describes the personal bond between individuals within a feudal hierarchy; sense 2 describes the political relationship between states.
常見錯誤
feudatory — noun
1. a piece of land granted by a lord to a vassal, held on condition of loyalty and
a piece of land granted by a lord to a vassal, held on condition of loyalty and the performance of services such as military support.
The count granted a large feudatory along the river to his most trusted knight.
granted a feudatory to [vassal]
Each feudatory required the holder to supply twelve armed men whenever the king went to war.
Nellie inherited a small feudatory that included two villages and a mill on the stream.
Benjamin received a small feudatory carved from the eastern edge of the royal forest.
用法筆記
This sense ('piece of land') is rarer than sense 2 ('person holding land'). In medieval documents, 'fief' or 'fee' was more commonly used for the land itself.
2. a person who holds land under the feudal system and owes loyalty, military servi
a person who holds land under the feudal system and owes loyalty, military service, or other duties to a lord.
Marco was a loyal feudatory who answered every summons to the royal court without delay.
loyal feudatory who answered [lord's] summons
The king called upon all his feudatories to join the campaign against the northern invaders.
Rafael swore an oath as a feudatory, promising to defend the baron's lands with his life.
The king stripped the disloyal feudatory of his title and gave the land to a younger son.
- vassal
the dominant term; 'feudatory' is more formal and less common
- liegeman
emphasises the sworn personal loyalty; more poetic or archaic
- tenant-in-chief
a vassal who held land directly from the crown
- liege lord
the lord to whom a feudatory owes service
- suzerain
the overlord in a feudal or semi-feudal relationship
用法筆記
The most common use of 'feudatory' as a noun. A feudatory is always subordinate to a lord, never the lord themselves.