Under the system of feudalism, a fief, or fiefdom, is the inheritable lands or property granted by a king to his nobles in return for a form of allegiance. The reasoning behind this practice was originally to give the nobles the means to fulfill their military duties when called upon. Fiefs usually are the last name of the lords and ladies who own them. They can date back to the Book of Gold. Some are so new that they are only a few generations old, such as fief Mindelan.