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An oath
Oath

An oath is either a promise or a statement of fact calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact....
 of fealty, from the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 fidelitas (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance
Allegiance

An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed by a subject or a citizen to his/her state or Monarch....
 of one person to another. Typically the oath is made upon a religious object such as a Bible
Bible

The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
 or saint's
Saint

A saint in Christianity is a human being who has been called to holiness. The term is used differently by various denominations, with some, such as the Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans distinguishing between Saints and saints....
 relic
Relic

A relic is an object or a personal item of Religion significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other religions....
, thus binding the oath-taker before God.thus had to swear the oath.

In medieval Europe
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
, fealty was sworn between two people, the obliged person (vassal
Vassal

A vassal in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudal of medieval Europe, is one who enters into mutual obligations with a monarch, usually of military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain guarantees, which came to include the terrain held as a fiefdom....
) and a person of rank (lord
Lord

Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a Prince#Prince_as_a_generic_word_for_ruler or a Examples of feudalism . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'Courtesy titles in the U...
).






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Rolandfealty
An oath
Oath

An oath is either a promise or a statement of fact calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact....
 of fealty, from the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 fidelitas (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance
Allegiance

An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed by a subject or a citizen to his/her state or Monarch....
 of one person to another. Typically the oath is made upon a religious object such as a Bible
Bible

The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
 or saint's
Saint

A saint in Christianity is a human being who has been called to holiness. The term is used differently by various denominations, with some, such as the Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans distinguishing between Saints and saints....
 relic
Relic

A relic is an object or a personal item of Religion significance, carefully preserved with an air of veneration as a tangible memorial. Relics are an important aspect of some forms of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, shamanism, and many other religions....
, thus binding the oath-taker before God.thus had to swear the oath.

In medieval Europe
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
, fealty was sworn between two people, the obliged person (vassal
Vassal

A vassal in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudal of medieval Europe, is one who enters into mutual obligations with a monarch, usually of military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain guarantees, which came to include the terrain held as a fiefdom....
) and a person of rank (lord
Lord

Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a Prince#Prince_as_a_generic_word_for_ruler or a Examples of feudalism . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'Courtesy titles in the U...
). This was done as part of a formal commendation ceremony
Commendation ceremony

A commendation ceremony is a formal ceremony that evolved during the Early Medieval period to create a bond between a lord and his fighting man, called his vassal ....
 to create a feudal relationship.

Fealty and homage are a key element of feudalism
Feudalism

Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period , in its most classic sense refers to a Middle Ages European political system composed of a set of reciprocal law and military obligations among the warrior nobility, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs....
. Under the feudal system, the smallest unit of land a fief could own was called a fea
FEA

Fea was the smallest unit of Real property a fief could own under the feudal system....
 or fee
Fee

A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for services, especially the honorarium paid to a doctor, attorney's fee, consultant, or other member of a learned profession....
, giving rise to the term freehold
Fee simple

A fee simple is an estate in land. It is the most common way real estate is owned in common law countries, and is ordinarily the most complete ownership interest that can be had in real property short of allodial title, which is often reserved for governments....
.

The term is also used by English-speakers to refer to similar oaths of allegiance in other feudal cultures, as with medieval Japan
History of Japan

The written history of Japan begins with brief references of Twenty-Four Histories, a collection of Chinese historical texts, in the 1st century AD....
.

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    Quia Emptores

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