Abstract
There is no consensus among historians on the subject of feudal law, and the notion of “feudalism” is contested. The traditional approaches, the broader one treating feudal society, the narrower focussing on the contract between lord and vassal, have been questioned as being constructs of modern historians. The Libri feudorum was the main text of medieval feudal law and was the subject of ius commune jurisprudence. The core notion in feudal relations was the bond of fidelity or fealty. Feudal bonds limited the ruler. They were found in a range of relationships in secular and ecclesiastical society. Both the parties benefited in a feudal relationship. With the development of forms of state from the twelfth century, the feudal aspect of rulership was by no means purely personal. Feudal notions persisted beyond the Middle Ages. Feudal custom was perceived as part of natural law.
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Canning, J. (2011). Feudal Law. In: Lagerlund, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9729-4_167
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9729-4_167
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