Lehenssystem

Lehenssystem, or the feudal system, was a political, economic, and social framework that predominated in much of medieval Europe. Land, the principal source of wealth, was held not as private property but as a fief granted by a lord to a vassal in return for military or other service. The core relationship was between lord and vassal: the vassal owed homage and fidelity to the lord and received investiture, a formal grant of a fief that conferred rights to use the land and its revenue.

In practice, the system was hierarchical. A king or high noble could grant land to a knight or lesser lord, who might grant portions to other vassals. The chain of homage connected generations and regions, creating a network of obligations. A vassal’s duties typically included military service for a period, attendance at the lord’s court, and counsel; the lord’s obligations included protection, defense of rights, and administration of justice within the fief. Practices such as wardship and marriage rights varied by locale and era.

Economically, the feudal arrangement coexisted with the manorial system. Most peasants—often serfs or villeins—worked the lord’s land and owed labor and rents in exchange for protection and the right to farm a portion of land. The system was highly regional and evolved with time, influenced by warfare, population changes, and the growth of centralized monarchies and towns. By the late Middle Ages, feudal ties gradually gave way to new political and legal structures, though the legacy of Lehenssystem persisted in social norms and jurisdiction.