Plural of feodary; persons holding feods or fees; those who hold land in fief.
From feodary (one who holds a feod) plus -ies (plural). Medieval English created this occupational term to identify landholding vassals in the feudal hierarchy.
In feudal records and inheritance documents, 'feodaries' appear alongside 'feoffers' and other specialized legal terms that medieval scribes used to distinguish different roles in the complex dance of landholding. Learning these terms is like learning the personnel chart of medieval power.
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