subvassal
/sʌbˈvæsəl/
noun
- A person or group that holds land or authority from a vassal, rather than directly from a king or lord.
- The baron granted a small estate to his subvassal in exchange for military support.
- Historians study the obligations of a subvassal to understand feudal society.
- In medieval Europe, a subvassal owed loyalty and service to the local lord, not the king.