The lord, or noble, is the landowner, and grants a fief to a vassal, or land to a recipient. The vassal is either a knight who pledges to defend the lord’s lands, or landless peasants who work the lands. The church official, or priest, collected a tithe (1/10 of peasants’ income) and did not work like peasants or fight like knights (an example of the corruption of that era’s Catholic church).