as the system developed in the seventh century, the vassals were gangs of freemen who subjected themselves, in some degree of formality, to the authority of a leader, from whom they could expect to be fed, clothed and armed. the quality of a vassal was only in his fighting ability and the strength of his loyalty. the etymology (where the word came from) of "vassal" is from a celtic word "gwas" "boy" that meant a young male slave, with a latinised form, "vassus" that appeared in salic law (rouche 1987 p 429), like the way "knight" came from the from old english word "cniht" and similar words in frisian and dutch, all meaning "lad" .