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How did an arriere-fief differ from a fief held directly from the crown?

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feudalism Detail from the *Heidelberger Sachsenspiegel* showing the homage ceremony, in which the vassals put themselves under the protection of their lords by placing their hands between his hands, 14th century; in the Universitatsbibliothek, Heidelberg, Germany.

In feudal society, the primary distinction between these two types of landholdings lies in the hierarchy of the vassal and their relationship to the sovereign.1

Fief held directly from the crown: These lands were held by tenants in chief, who constituted the most important group of feudal nobles, often referred to as barons. These individuals held their fiefs directly from the king, who served as the lord paramount within the system of feudal land tenure.12
Arriere-fief: This term refers to a fief held by the tenants of those tenants in chief. Through a process known as subinfeudation, a vassal could become a lord themselves by granting portions of their own land to their own vassals. The resulting holdings were known as arriere-fiefs.1

When a monarch summoned the entire feudal host for military service, they were said to summon the ban et arriere-ban, encompassing both their direct tenants and the vassals of those tenants.1