Definition of vassalage – What it is, Meaning and Concept

Vassalage is the relationship that, in ancient times, an individual kept with his Mister. This link implied loyalty and, in turn, dependence Y submission: the vassal He had to provide military and political assistance to the man, who in return gave him land for his usufruct.

The vassalage was regulated by a contract bilateral (with obligations for both parties). If the vassal or lord committed a serious breach, the bond could be dissolved. Importantly, the relationship was forged between two free men (a commoner and a noble, or a noble of lower status and a noble of higher status).

Etymological route

Regarding the etymology of the word vassal, we can say that its most remote origin is found in the terms gwas (in Welsh, “servant” or “young man”), foss (in Irish, “servant”) and goaz (in Breton, «man“Or” servant “). On the other hand, this also relates it to the Indo-European root wasso-, which served to denote the concept of “young squire.”

From all this arose vassus, the classical Latin term for “servants,” which later became vassallus, already in medieval Latin. In the Gallo-Romance languages ​​there was also vassellitus, a diminutive of vassallus to speak of a ‘young nobleman’, a ‘page“Or a” squire. “

Beginning of vassalage

It all started with a ceremony of homage and investiture, in which said contract was enshrined so that the vassalage relationship began to take effect. In short, the vassal had to rest his hands on the lord’s and declare himself “his man”, in addition to swearing to him fidelity.

Then, the lord gave the vassal a branch or a handful of land to symbolize the lands he would give him.

In addition to the provision military, the vassal promised to offer his lord financial aid and advice; the other, for his part, promised him military protection, judicial defense and maintenance, in addition to the lands.

Differences with servitude

It should not be confused between servitude and vassalage. In the first case, the servant was almost a slave and his feudal lord could sell it along with the land he exploited. In vassalage, the bond was between people of a similar class.

Despite these differences, it is important to note that vassalage was only voluntary in its early days; As the lords became more and more powerful, they finally succeeded in turning this regime into required, so that no man could choose not to submit to it.

The pyramid of vassalage

Many times the vassals of a lord were, in turn, lords of other vassals. This means that a person He could be a vassal with respect to another, but simultaneously have the privileges of lord before other subjects. In this way a Social pyramid headed by the emperor or the king.

Bliss pyramid, often referred to as feudal or of vassalage, represented a network of feudo-vassal or vassal type relationships, characterized by the promises explained above.

At the top of a feudal pyramid stood the emperor, followed by the kings, the tall nobility (counts, marquises and dukes), the intermediate nobility (lords) and, finally, the lower nobility (barons, viscounts, knights, infanzones, squires and hidalgos, among others). At each level of the pyramid, the size of the fiefdom was also particular, which could encompass, for example, a village, a region or an entire region.

The decline of the system

Historians maintain that vassalage began to fall when empires lost power and authority was decentralized. Many fiefdoms, in this context, became hereditary.

Finally this social relationship dissolved and other kinds of political and economic ties began to emerge, often governed by the institution known as market.