vassalage
/ˈva-sə-lij/ (ame, mw)
vassalage — noun
1. the condition of being ruled by a stronger power and no longer acting with full
the condition of being ruled by a stronger power and no longer acting with full political independence.
After the war, the small kingdom fell into vassalage to its northern neighbor.
fall into vassalage to + ruler
For two generations, the island lived in vassalage under a distant emperor.
Mauricio saw the treaty as peace on paper but vassalage in practice.
Heavy trade debts pushed the duchy into vassalage to the richer port city.
- subjection
more general and more formal; not limited to feudal politics
- dependence
broader and weaker; often lacks the idea of sworn loyalty or formal hierarchy
- servitude
stronger and harsher, often suggesting forced labour or loss of personal freedom
- independence
the condition of ruling yourself rather than serving a stronger power
- sovereignty
formal term for supreme political authority over a state
文法句型
fall into vassalage
live in vassalage to + ruler
用法筆記
Usually applied to a smaller state or ruler under a stronger power. Distinguish from sense 2, which names one person's feudal standing rather than a whole polity's dependent condition.
常見錯誤
2. the legal rank of a person who held land from a lord and owed that lord service
the legal rank of a person who held land from a lord and owed that lord service and loyalty in return.
At seventeen, Arjun entered vassalage and received three fields from the count.
enter vassalage and receive land
The ceremony marked Mira's vassalage to Lady Beatrix for the rest of her life.
vassalage to + lord
In return for the farm, Eitan accepted vassalage under the mountain lord.
Jabari's vassalage began when he knelt and placed both hands inside the lord's hands.
- tenure
can refer to land held from a lord, but focuses more on the holding than on the personal bond
- feudal rank
describes position in the feudal order, but is less specific than vassalage
- lordship
the superior position that receives service rather than giving it
文法句型
enter vassalage
vassalage to + lord
用法筆記
Used for the dependent person's legal standing in a feudal bond, often after land is granted. Distinguish from sense 3, which focuses on the duties owed after that status begins.
常見錯誤
3. the loyalty, labour, military help, rent, or other duties that a vassal had to p
the loyalty, labour, military help, rent, or other duties that a vassal had to provide to a lord.
Each spring, Lan's vassalage required ten days of work on the lord's roads.
vassalage requiring labour service
The letter lists grain, horses, and soldiers as part of the family's vassalage.
When the bell rang, Henry fulfilled his vassalage by guarding the bridge all night.
Amani's father could not pay the wool demanded under his yearly vassalage.
文法句型
owe vassalage
fulfil vassalage by + action
用法筆記
This sense points to what a vassal must do or provide, such as labour, troops, rent, or public loyalty. Distinguish from sense 2, which names the status itself rather than the owed service.