Fealty

Fealty, from the Latin fidelitas or faithfulness, refers to a form of oath given from one person to another, pledging the allegiance of one to the other. Typically the oath is made upon a religious object such as a Bible or saints relic thus binding the oath taker before God.

In medieval Europe, fealty was sworn between two people, the obligated person (vassal) and a person of rank (lord). This was done as part of a formal commendation ceremony to create a feudal relationship.

see commendation ceremony for a description of the oath of fealty ceremony.

Fealty and homage are a key element of feudalism.

The term is also used by English speakers to refer to similar oaths of allegiance in other feudal cultures, as with Japan prior to about 1500.