Seignory

Seignory is when there is a big piece of land that belongs to someone important, like a king or a nobleman. This person can let other people use the land, but they have to pay him money or do work for him in return. The people who use the land are called tenants or vassals. The important person is called the lord of the seignory.

It is kind of like if you have a big toy that you really like and you let your friends play with it, but they have to give you some of their candy or do something nice for you in return. The toy is like the land, and you are like the lord of the seignory.

Sometimes, the lord of the seignory also has the power to make some important decisions for the people who live on the land. It's like if you were playing with your friends and you got to decide what game you were going to play, or what rules you were going to follow.

Seignory was very common in Europe during the Middle Ages. Some people liked it because it gave them a place to live and work, and they didn't have to worry about owning their own piece of land. Others didn't like it because they felt like they were being controlled by the lord of the seignory, and they had to pay him a lot of their money or do a lot of work for him.