Answer:
In the Middle Ages, a "fief," which was also called a "feudal landholding," was a piece of land that a lord gave to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and military service. The vassal would usually swear an oath of allegiance to the lord and be expected to provide a certain number of knights and soldiers to fight for the lord in times of war.
The fief itself could be anything from a small piece of land to a large estate. It could also include things like forests, mills, and mines, as well as land. The vassal would be able to collect taxes, tolls, and other money from the fief, and he or she could also rule over the people who lived there in different ways.
The fief was a key part of feudalism, which was common in medieval Europe from the 9th to the 15th century. This system was made up of a complicated web of relationships between lords, vassals, and serfs (peasants who were bound to the land).