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a formal payment by vassals to their overlord on specific occasions, such as the knighting of the eldest son and the marriage of the eldest daughter. |
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any open area surrounded by the walls of a castle. |
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a person charged with administrative duties of an estate; the agent who collects rents and manages an estate or farm for the landlord. |
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heavy material, usually velvet, silk damask, or wool, fastened above the center of the bed, stretched over a four-sided frame work, and extended to the floor. These curtains provided both warmth and privacy. |
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a loose gown, capable of being donned quickly and easily; what we would call a bathrobe. |
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the engagement of a man or woman in a contract of marriage (a legal condition far more binding than a modern "engagement"). |
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the governor or constable of a castle, assigned at the will of the "holder" of the castle and liable to removal at that holder's will. (There were some cases of hereditary castellanships.) |
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a garment much like modern pantyhose, except that chausses were sewn, not knitted, and therefore were not form-fitting; |
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