Which statement is true ? each noble except for the lowest knight on the ladder was a
suzerain of a lesser noble to whom he had given land (a fief) in
exchange for an oath of loyalty. because the king did not own any
land, he was a vassal of a higher noble.
the authority of the king was weakened by the nobles' successful
defense against invasions. the dukes, counts, lords, etc. were held
together by a system of personal loyalty and mutual aid.
the church tried to moralize the feudal system by insisting
that the suzerains had to be loyal and the vassals had to be
generous and just. the church ruled that for a noble, "félonie"
(breach of the oath of loyalty) was the worst sin of all.