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How did feudal landholding work in medieval England?

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King Henry II and St. Thomas Becket — Common law Henry II (left) disputing with Thomas Becket (center), miniature from a 14th-century manuscript; in the British Library (Cotton MS. Claudius D.ii).

In medieval England, feudal landholding was a hierarchical system where land was held by tenants from lords in exchange for specific services or payments. At the top was the king, followed by aristocratic "tenants in chief," intermediate "mesne" tenants, and finally the tenant "in demesne" who occupied the property.12

Tenures were categorized as free or unfree:
* Free Tenures: Included knight service (military duty, often commuted to scutage), socage (agricultural service), and spiritual tenures. These were subject to "incidents," such as relief (inheritance tax), wardship, and escheat (reversion of land to the lord).12
* Unfree Tenures: Known as villenage, these tenants initially held land at the lord's will. Over time, royal courts provided protection, and these tenancies evolved into copyhold tenure, where tenants paid rent instead of performing unpredictable services.1

Succession was governed by estates like fee simple and fee tail, with primogeniture becoming the standard rule for inheritance. Disputes over these land rights in the King’s Court were central to the development of common law.23