Plural of demesne; lands or estates that a feudal lord retained for his own use rather than granting to vassals; personal holdings of an estate.
From Old French demeine, from Latin dominicus (of a lord/master). The term became standard in medieval English land law to distinguish the lord's personal lands from those he granted to tenants.
Understanding demesnes is key to feudalism—a lord's demesne was his safety net, the land that literally fed his household when vassals couldn't be trusted, making it the most valuable real estate in medieval Europe.
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