1. the state of being a vassal; feudal subordination to a lord or superior
Usage: historical
2. a condition of dependence or submission; servitude

Examples

• The medieval system of vassalage bound knights to their lords through oaths of loyalty.
• Under vassalage, peasants worked the land in exchange for protection.
• The feudal concept of vassalage dominated European society for centuries.
• He refused to accept vassalage to any foreign power.
• The treaty would reduce the nation to vassalage under its stronger neighbor.
• Economic vassalage can be as restrictive as political control.