Which term describes the unwritten agreement that binds a vassal to a lord and sets land tenure in exchange for service?

• A. Feudal Contract
• B. Subinfeudation
• C. Feudalism
• D. Journeymen

Answer: (A)

This describes the reciprocal bond at the heart of feudal life: an unwritten agreement in which a vassal pledges loyalty and service to a lord in exchange for the use of land. In practice, the vassal would perform duties such as military service or counsel, while the lord granted a fief and protection. This informal, oath-based pact held together the hierarchy and land tenure of medieval Europe, making the relationship legally and socially binding even without a written contract.

Subinfeudation refers to a vassal granting part of his own land to a lesser vassal, creating a secondary layer of tenure rather than naming the essential bond between lord and vassal. Feudalism is the broad system that organizes society around these kinds of relationships and duties, not the specific agreement itself. Journeymen are skilled workers within guilds, unrelated to the lord–vassal land-for-service bond.