Stronghold

The stronghold was during the feudal time a tenure conceded with a vassal , the load of the faith and homage and, possibly, of some other duties towards its Seigneur. This practice developed with the Moyen-âge following the bursting of the Carolingian Empire, and then governed the establishment of a land Aristocratie.

The word, undoubtedly of Germanic origin ( vieh , cattle, well of importance), appeared in the South at the end of IXe century ( fevum ), with perhaps a confusion with the word fiscum (which indicates at the time Carolingian the great royal fields), and a filiation with beneficium , which would evoke the “public” origin of the southernmost stronghold (the beneficium indicates the concession of a tax ground by an public agent in exchange of public services). It extends then to the other forms from vassalic concessions and replaces the word benefit.

The stronghold is opposed to the Alleu, which did not raise of any lord and with the good commoner which is the Censive.

Types of strongholds

The strongholds are various types, according to the thing which is conceded, the related obligations, its place in the feudal hierarchy. Generally they are grounds of the suzerain.

According to the benefit

Generally, the stronghold is a tenure , a ground that the vassal one holds of its lord, and who ensures his subsistence and the payment of an military equipment.

  • Stronghold of purse or stronghold silver : the stronghold consists of a sum paid in cash. In general, this practice was provisional, until the lord could allot a ground to his vassal. In the Latin States of Raising, it was called stronghold-besant . See also stronghold-revenue

  • Stronghold-revenue : consistent stronghold in the payment of a fixed and annual sum; frequent in the kings of France and England of the XI {{E}} at the 15th century, which made sure thus of vassal, always immediately available, and which did not have to manage grounds;
  • Stronghold in the air or incorporeal stronghold : stronghold made up of rights and mobilities, without territorial field.
  • noble Stronghold : stronghold having high justice, or censive or stronghold dependant on him.
  • Stronghold commoner : stronghold not having nor censive justice or or stronghold under him.

According to the obligations

A stronghold is a benefit (the term is equivalent to Xe century approximately, the stronghold term is essential then) for the vassal one. It gives place to obligations in reciprocity, which characterize it.

  • liege Stronghold : stronghold whose concession gave place to a liege Hommage, by which the vassal one was committed supporting its lord towards and against all, and who engaged all the goods of the vassal one;

  • a stronghold banneret or of banner obliges its holder required a banner (troop of several knights and their continuations) when its lord asks him;
  • Stronghold of body : liege stronghold, which involves the military service, obligatorily personal, of the vassal one; this service was to be done with complete armament or not, according to the stronghold;
  • Franc-stronghold or stronghold alleutier : noble ground concerned with no lord dominating.

The appearance of the liege stronghold is done at the 12th century, when the obligations of the vassal one, which owed before an absolute devotion to its lord, limit to the four cases (dubbing of the oldest son, marriage of the oldest daughter, payment of a ransom if the lord is made prisoner, when the lord leaves in Croisade).

According to its hierarchy

  • Stronghold dominating : stronghold of which another raised immediately;

  • Stronghold serving , or moving stronghold : concerning stronghold another;
  • Sub-fief : concerning stronghold another which raises itself of another;
  • Stronghold of dignity : great stronghold (principality, duchy, marquisat, county even baronnie and châtellenie);

Owners of the stronghold

In the first times, only the noble ones could have a stronghold. Then this possibility was offered to the commoners (and to people of mortmain) with the help of a right (right of frank stronghold) when the stronghold was feudally close to the King. This right was payable every 20 years (at the 18th century) and at the time of the successions.

Saint-Louis allowed to the Anoblissement commoners holding strongholds with the third faith, i.e. with the 3rd homage (concretely, the grandson of the purchaser, subject to nonDérogeance, was anobli).

This mode of ennoblement ceased at the XVIième century, and this abrogation was put on the account of the ordinance of Blois (1579), ordinance which stipulated that “the commoners and nonnoble, buying noble strongholds, will not be for this anoblis, nor put at the row and degrees of noble, of some income and value which are the strongholds by them acquired”.

The strongholds were divided however noblement with the quad change (after the 4th homage, in a commoner family, the stronghold was subjected to the right of seniority).

Failing to anoblir, the possession of a stronghold however notably influenced the social position, and one sees even the convocation with the General states 1789 to call with the 2nd order the noble ones having stronghold whereas the noble ones not having stronghold were to have the acquired and transmissible nobility.

Transmission of the stronghold

The lord dominating preserved a certain control on the change of the strongholds which concerned him and:

  • in the event of sale, it perceived the quint , i.e. a fifth of the value of the stronghold, paid by the vassal one like right of sale; if the quint were paid by the purchaser and not the salesman, the requint was added to it, that is to say a fifth of the quint (total: 24% of the value of the stronghold);
  • at the time of a succession, the heir “raised the stronghold”, i.e. he discharged the relief to his lord; the relief testifies to the resumption of the vassalic obligation, and was generally equivalent to a year of incomes; after XIIIe century, it tended to decrease, to even disappear for the direct descendants.

Loss of the stronghold

According to the feudal Right, the Vassal guilty of Félon IE, or not making Homage of its stronghold within the prescribed times, was exposed in theory to the Commise of its stronghold by the lord.

See too

---- Homonymy :

  • in data processing, one names stronghold of a program the whole of the places where its variables are accessible.
  • the term of stronghold is also used to indicate an geographical area historically acquired with a party or a politician.

Simple: Fiefdom

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