the.com/vassal
a medieval middleman who swore loyalty upward and squeezed everyone downward.
means A person in feudal society who pledged loyalty and service to a lord in exchange for protection and the right to hold land.
from From the Old French 'vassal,' borrowed into Medieval Latin as 'vassallus,' both reaching back to a Celtic root meaning 'young man' or 'servant' — a cousin of Welsh 'gwas,' meaning 'servant' or 'youth.' So buried in this lofty title of feudal rank is the humbler idea of a lad in someone's service, the boy who fetched and carried before he ever swore an oath.
holy handsLoyalty was sealed by clasping hands and kissing the lord.
land dealService traded for a fief, usually farmland and peasants.
double dutyCould be vassal to several lords at once, awkwardly.
liege fixA liege lord outranked all other claims on you.
war debtOwed roughly 40 days of armed service yearly.