![]() Most of the rules governing the terms by which land was held were developed in local lord’s courts, which were held to manage the estates of the lord’s immediate tenants. Title to land was transferred by a formal ritual rather than by deed this provided publicity for such transactions. ![]() Life estates (tenancies lasting only for one person’s lifetime) could also be created. Land held in “ fee simple” meant that any heir could inherit (that is, succeed to the tenancy), whereas land held in “ fee tail” could pass only to direct descendants. Succession to tenancies was regulated by a system of different “ estates,” or rights in land, which determined the duration of the tenant’s interest. ![]() For example, the feudal lord had the right to take a tenant’s land if he died without heirs if he did have heirs, the lord was entitled to compensation for exercising wardship and granting permission to marry ( see wardship and marriage). The “incidents,” or contingency rights, however, were assessed at current land value and remained important. Periodic services tended to be commuted into fixed annual payments, which, under the impact of inflation, ceased to have much value over time. An armed knight, for example, might have to be provided to serve for a certain period each year. Each piece of land was held under a particular condition of tenure-that is, in return for a certain service or payment. Under the king came the aristocratic “ tenants in chief,” then strata of “mesne,” or intermediate tenants, and finally the tenant “in demesne,” who actually occupied the property. Land was held under a chain of feudal relations. Political power was rural and based on landownership. A money economy was important only in commercial centres such as London, Norwich, and Bristol.
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