Tenants in Chief were…

• A. People who held land directly from the king and had more power
• B. Church officials who advised the king
• C. Local sheriffs with limited authority
• D. Knights serving under earls

Answer: (A)

Tenants in chief are the lords who held land directly from the king in the feudal system. After the Norman Conquest, the king granted large tracts of land to his most trusted nobles in exchange for military service and loyalty. Because their fiefs came directly from the crown, these holders stood at the top of the hierarchy and had significant power and influence, including the right to grant land to others and a major role in advising the king.

This differs from the other descriptions: sheriffs were royal administrators acting on behalf of the crown within a county, not landholders directly granted by the king; church officials did advise the king but typically did not form the core of the king’s landholding aristocracy in the sense of tenants in chief; knights serving under an earl were subtenants who held land from their immediate lord, not directly from the king.