subinfeudation
/ˌsʌbɪnfjuːˈdeɪʃən/
noun
- The practice or system in feudal law where a tenant grants land to a subtenant, creating a hierarchy of landholders.
- Historians study subinfeudation to understand how power and land were organized in the Middle Ages.
- Subinfeudation created a chain of lords and tenants in medieval Europe.
- The king tried to limit subinfeudation to maintain control over land distribution.