Editing Fealty

{{short description|Pledge of allegiance of one person to another}}
{{about|a pledge of allegiance|the journalist|Mick Fealty|the novel by Niven and Pournelle|Oath of Fealty (novel)}}
{{English Feudalism}}

An [[oath]] of '''fealty''', from the [[Latin]] '''{{lang|la|fidelitas}}''' ([[faithfulness]]), is a pledge of [[allegiance]] of one person to another.

==Definition==
In [[medieval]] [[Europe]], the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a [[vassal]], or subordinate, to his [[lord]]. "Fealty" also referred to the duties incumbent upon a vassal that were owed to the lord, which consisted of service and aid.<ref name=Coredon120>Coredon, ''A Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases'', p. 120</ref>

One part of the oath of fealty included swearing to always remain faithful to the lord. The oath of fealty usually took place after the act of [[homage (medieval)|homage]], when, by the symbolic act of kneeling before the lord and placing his hands between the hands of the lord, the vassal became the "man" of the lord. Usually, the lord also promised to provide for the vassal in some form, either through the granting of a [[fief]] or by some other manner of support.<ref name=Saul102>Saul, "Feudalism", ''Companion to Medieval England'', pp. 102–105</ref> Typically, the oath took place upon a religious object such as a [[Bible]] or [[saint|saint's]] [[relic]], often contained within an [[altar]], thus binding the oath-taker before God. Fealty and homage were key elements of European [[feudalism]].

Fealty is distinct from other parts of the homage ceremony, and is usually used only to refer to that part of the ceremony where a vassal swore to be a good vassal to his lord.<ref name=mcgurk13>McGurk, ''Dictionary of Medieval Terms'', p. 13</ref>

==History==
In [[Middle Ages|medieval Europe]], an oath of fealty (German: '''''Lehnseid''''') was a fundamental element of the [[feudal system in the Holy Roman Empire]]. It was sworn between two people, the feudal subject or liegeman (''vassal'') and his feudal superior (''liege lord''). The oath of allegiance was usually carried out as part of a traditional ceremony in which the liegeman or vassal gave his lord a pledge of loyalty and acceptance of the consequences of a breach of trust. In return, the liege lord promised to protect and remain loyal to his vassal. This relationship formed the basis of landholding, known as feudal tenure, whereby the [[Seisin|seizin]] vested in the tenant (the vassal) was so similar to actual possession that it was considered a separate [[Estate in land|estate]] described as utile domain (''[[dominium utile]]''), literally "beneficial ownership", whereas the landlord's estate was referred to as eminent domain or superiority (''[[dominium directum]]'', lit. "direct ownership").

In the [[Late Middle Ages]], the investiture and oath of fealty were invariably recorded by a deed; in modern times, this replaced the traditional ceremony. Where the geographical distance between the two parties was significant, the lord could name a representative before whom the oath was to be sworn.

The whole contract including the oath of fealty was part of a formal [[commendation ceremony]] that created the feudal relationship.<ref name=Saul102/>

The term is also used by English-speakers to refer to similar oaths of allegiance in other feudal cultures, as with [[History of Japan#Feudal Japan (1185–1868)|medieval Japan]], as well as in modern organized crime.

== Citations ==
{{reflist}}

== General and cited references ==
* {{cite book |title= A Dictionary of Medieval Terms & Phrases |last=Coredon |first= Christopher  |year= 2007 |edition= Reprint |publisher=D. S. Brewer |location=Woodbridge |isbn= 978-1-84384-138-8  }}
* {{cite book |author=McGurk, J. J. N. |title=A Dictionary of Medieval Terms: For the Use of History Students |publisher=Reigate Press for St Mary's College of Education |location= Reigate, UK |year=1970|oclc= 138858}}
* {{cite encyclopedia |title=Feudalism |encyclopedia=A Companion to Medieval England 1066–1485 |last= Saul|first=Nigel |author-link=Nigel Saul  |year=2000 |publisher=Tempus |location= Stroud|isbn=0-7524-2969-8 |pages=102–105 }}

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary inline}}

[[Category:Feudalism]]
[[Category:Oaths of allegiance]]