Multiple vassality

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Under Mehrfachvasallität accepting is a fief of several feudal lords in the Middle Ages understood.

The feudal lord, the vassal , swore the oath of allegiance to at least two liege lords . This became problematic when both were dependent on his support at the same time and he was therefore unable to meet all of his obligations. In this way, the feudal system was weakened, because the original intention (assistance in return for fiefs) was not fulfilled. This was especially true for the crown vassals , who in some cases pledged themselves to other lords alongside the king, with which they often could not even keep the oath of loyalty sworn to the king. In England and France attempts were made to solve the problem through the Ligesse , which only partially succeeded. Accordingly, the vassal had to give absolute priority to a feudal lord (" ligical vassal ").

The dispute between the historians Georg Waitz and François Louis Ganshof consisted of the question of whether and to what extent this was a normal, sensible appearance of feudalism or a "degenerate appearance" (François Louis Ganshof). In research it is controversial how early the evidence of double vassalism can be traced. According to the latest research ( Roman Deutinger ), this is not the case in the early Middle Ages , but only in the late 11th / early 12th century. Examples of this can still be found in the late Middle Ages , in the Holy Roman Empire , for example, in the western border area with France.

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