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Simple English definitions for legal terms
homage
Read a random definition: public policy
A quick definition of homage:
Homage: In the past, when someone became a tenant of a lord, they had to do a special ceremony called homage. During this ceremony, the tenant would kneel in front of the lord and put their hands between the lord's hands. They would promise to be loyal and faithful to the lord and to do everything they could to help them. This was a very important ceremony and showed that the tenant respected and honored the lord. There were different types of homage, but the most important one was called homage liege, which was when someone promised to be loyal only to the king and no one else.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Homage is a ceremony that was performed in feudal times by a new tenant to acknowledge their tenure to the lord. It was the most honorable service that a free tenant could do for a lord. During the ceremony, the tenant would kneel before the lord, place their hands between the lord's hands, and swear an oath of fidelity.
Example: The tenant would say, "I become your man from this day forward, of life and limb and earthly honor, and to you will be faithful and loyal, and bear you faith, for the tenements that I claim to hold of you, saving the faith that I owe unto our sovereign lord the king, so help me God."
Explanation: This example illustrates the oath that a tenant would swear during the homage ceremony. The tenant would pledge their loyalty and faithfulness to the lord, acknowledging themselves as the lord's man.
Example: Homage ancestral is a type of homage in which a tenant and the tenant's ancestors have held immemorially of another by the service of homage.
Explanation: This example illustrates a specific type of homage, which is homage ancestral. This type of homage is based on a long-standing relationship between the tenant and the lord, where the tenant and their ancestors have held the land by the service of homage.
Example: Homage liege is homage due to the sovereign alone as the supreme lord, done without any saving or exception of the rights of other lords.
Explanation: This example illustrates another type of homage, which is homage liege. This type of homage is due to the sovereign alone and is done without any exception of the rights of other lords. It is a way for the tenant to pledge their loyalty and faithfulness to the sovereign as the supreme lord.