subinfeudation

Subinfeudation is a medieval feudal practice in which a vassal who holds a fief from a lord grants part of that fief to another person, who then becomes a vassal of the original vassal. In such a chain, the new holder is called a subinfeudatory or mesne lord, and the obligations run upward through the hierarchy: the subinfeudatory owes allegiance and service to the vassal who granted the subfief, who in turn owes service to the overlord, and ultimately to the sovereign.

The grant may involve the whole fief or only a portion of it, and the subinfeudal relationship can extend over multiple generations. Subinfeudation was a common feature of the feudal system in medieval Europe, used to distribute land to knights and soldiers and to reward military or administrative service. However, it created a complex web of loyalties and liabilities and could dilute the overlord’s direct control over the land.

Legal and political practice varied: in some realms the sovereign or overlord required license to subinfeud, and later regimes restricted or abolished subinfeudation as central authorities sought to simplify tenure and reduce fragmentation. The decline of feudalism and reform of land tenure reduced the prevalence of subinfeudation, though remnants persisted into later periods in some regions.

See also feudal tenure, fief, vassalage.