TRANSITION BETWEEN THE FRANK AND FEUDAL PERIODS.
From an individual point of view it was the institution of vassalage which served as transition between the Frank and Feudal periods. From the 8th century onward documents and legal texts make mention of persons called Seniores, who exercised a legal authority over other men qualified as vassals. Anybody from the king to the humblest sub ject could be a Senior. The vassal himself could have vassals which the copitulaires desig nated by the name of vassal's vassals or va vcisseurs. The vassal was under the obligation of serving his senior all his life: Certain du ties are mentioned in texts (accompanying the senior when traveling, guarding his house, lend ing him armed assistance, etc.), but the enu merations were not specific. On the other hand the senior was the vassal's attorney so to speak, and if a third party made any claim against the vassal it had to be addressed to the senior who saw that justice was done. In 847 Charles le Chauve ordered all his subjects to choose a senior; but his orders were not everywhere carried out; some of the free men refused to submit to this edict, with the result that their property became what was afterward called allodial or freehold.
Land The concentration of land property constituted a second aspect of the transition from the Frank to the Feudal period. The small landowners were generally ill looked upon by the counts who employed all kinds of devices to force them to sell their property. On the other hand, the large landowners often con ceded part of their land for life with a view to developing their political and social influence vis-a-vis their tenants, and these concessions, which at first were leased on a life basis, ended by becoming hereditary— at least in fact. Thus it came about that Charles Martel conceded gratuitously to the lords of the realm, as a gift, i.e., without compensation, property which he had wrested from the Church. Any land concession created a link of vassality be tween the two contracting parties. From this link arose from the Frank period a new judicial organization, the • expansion of which will be witnessed during the Feudal period.