Editing Fee simple (section)

==History==
The word "fee" is related to the term [[fief]], meaning a [[feudalism|feudal]] landholding. [[Feudal land tenure]]s existed in several varieties, most of which involved the [[tenant farmer|tenant]] having to supply some service to his overlord, such as [[knight-service]] (military service). If the tenant's overlord was the king, [[Serjeanty|grand serjeanty]], then this might require providing many different services, such as providing horses in time of war or acting as the king's ceremonial butler. These fiefs gave rise to a complex relationship between landlord and tenant, involving duties on both sides. For example, in return for receiving his tenant's [[fealty]] or [[homage (feudal)|homage]], the overlord had a duty to protect his tenant. When feudal land tenure was abolished, all fiefs became "simple", without conditions attached to the tenancy.