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History vocabulary · Empires, States and Rulers

Vassal

Meaning in history, with examples

/ˈvæsl/nounCommon term

In history, vassal means: In medieval Europe, a person who held land from a lord in return for loyalty and service; more broadly, a ruler or state that accepts the authority of a stronger power.

In Turkish: vasal, tabi devlet, bağımlı hükümdar

How it is used

Vassals swore loyalty to their lord and owed military service. Vassal state and tributary state describe states that kept their own rulers but paid tribute to a stronger empire and followed its lead. The relationship is called vassalage.

Example sentences

  1. Wallachia was a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire for several centuries.

  2. The vassal knelt and swore loyalty to his lord.

Common collocations

  • vassal state
  • a loyal vassal
  • lord and vassal
  • become a vassal of
  • feudalismA term for the social and political order of medieval Europe in which lords granted land to vassals in return for loyalty and military service, while peasants worked the land.
  • sovereigntySupreme authority over a territory and its people, including the right to make laws and to govern without control from any outside power.
  • empireA large state or group of territories and peoples ruled by a single supreme authority, often an emperor or sultan, and usually built through conquest.
  • serfIn medieval and early modern Europe, a peasant who was legally bound to a lord's land, owed labour and dues, and could not leave without permission.

More terms: Empires, States and Rulers

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