Legal Definitions - subinfeudation

Definition: Subinfeudation is a historical system in which tenants in a feudal system granted smaller estates to their tenants, who in turn did the same from their pieces of land. This system deprived the lords of their feudal profits and was suppressed by the statute Quia Emptores in 1290. Instead of subinfeudation, alienation in the modern sense was introduced.

Example: In medieval Europe, a lord granted a piece of land to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and military service. The vassal could then subinfeudate the land to a sub-vassal, who would owe loyalty and military service to the vassal instead of the lord. This system continued down the social scale until the lords were deprived of their feudal profits.

Explanation: The example illustrates how subinfeudation worked in medieval Europe. The lord granted land to a vassal, who then granted land to a sub-vassal. This system continued down the social scale until the lords were deprived of their feudal profits. The sub-vassals owed loyalty and military service to the vassals instead of the lord, which weakened the power of the lords.