An ESNE was a servant of the Lord in medieval times, usually a slave or a SERF. A SERF was a peasant who was bound to the land and had to work for the lord of the manor. A VASSAL was a nobleman who held land from a lord in return for military service. A THANE was a high-ranking nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England who held land from the king. A LIEGE was a feudal lord who held land from a higher lord and owed him allegiance. All of these terms refer to people who worked for the Lord in some capacity during the Middle Ages.