tenant in chief

American  

Or tenant-in-chief

noun

1. a feudal vassal who holds land directly from the king.

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tenant-in-chief British  

noun

1. (in feudal society) a tenant who held some or all of his lands directly from the king

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Etymology

Origin of tenant in chief

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

Theory of Selden; According to the first, every tenant in chief by knight-service was an honorary or parliamentary baron by reason of his tenure.

From View of the State of Europe during the Middle Ages, Vol. 3 by Hallam, Henry

In the Great Councils the prelates and greater barons had assembled, and the lesser barons were also summoned; the term baron being equivalent to tenant in chief.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 11 — Ancient and Mediæval History by Hammerton, John Alexander, Sir

No tenant in chief or royal servant might be excommunicated, or their land placed under interdict, but by the king's assent.

From History of the English People, Volume I Early England, 449-1071; Foreign Kings, 1071-1204; The Charter, 1204-1216 by Green, John Richard