The majority of the fiefdoms under the rule of William the Conqueror were taken from Anglo-Saxons and redistributed to Norman lords. Fiefs usually consisted of some amount of land, which varied widely, as well as a number of un-free peasants tied to the land that would work for the lord.
A fief’s main purpose was to provide income for the lord so that he had the means to provide for his knights. Land was not the only object that could be held in fee, government roles and hunting rights were also commonly granted in exchange for fealty. The monarch in these situations still maintained the rights to the land that the vassal has control over, making it easy for the king to ensure his vassal stayed in accordance with his wishes because the vassals land rights could be revoked at any time. These lords would hold the land ‘in fee’ for the king so that the king could maintain control over larger areas of land without being directly involved in the day to day governance of each area. A fief is a parcel of land given to a lord to rule on the king’s behalf. In return for this act, the king would grant the vassal a fief. These oaths generally involved the vassal swearing to support the king and honor his act of homage by acting in the interest of the monarch. The king would then produce a bible or other holy relic, which the vassal would place his hands upon in order to swear his oath of fealty. The act of paying homage involved the inferior coming before the king bareheaded and weaponless, as a sign of submission, and then clasping the hands of the king to signify his obedience to him. Commendation was a ceremony that usually consisted of two parts, an act of homage and an oath of fealty. The process through which a lord would become a vassal of the king was called commendation. While arrangement of feudal power varied from place to place there were four common elements seen throughout feudal government: the fief, the castle, the knight, and vassal commendation.
Feudalism describes both a social and governmental structure where a monarch delegates land and power to vassals who rule on his behalf in exchange for military assistance. To understand how the structure of feudalism affected the Norman rule of England, feudalism must first be defined. “Feudalism in England under William the Conqeuror”