ThedaughterofWilliamV，CountofToulouse，didnotsucceedtothecounty。ButEleanorsucceededtoAquitaine，andMatildatoNormandy；andtherightofthesuccessionoffemalesseemedsowellestablishedinthosedays，thatLouistheYoung，afterhisdivorcefromEleanor，madenodifficultyinrestoringGuiennetoher。Butasthesetwolastinstancesfollowedcloseonthefirst，thegenerallawbywhichthewomenwerecalledtothesuccessionoffiefsmusthavebeenintroducedmuchlaterintothecountyofToulousethanintotheotherprovincesofFrance。[212]
TheconstitutionofseveralkingdomsofEuropehasbeendirectedbythestateoffeudaltenuresatthetimewhenthosekingdomswerefounded。
ThewomensucceededneithertothecrownofFrancenortotheempire，becauseatthefoundationofthosetwomonarchiestheywereincapableofsucceedingtofiefs。Buttheysucceededinkingdomswhosefoundationwasposteriortothatoftheperpetuityofthefiefs，suchasthosefoundedbytheNormans，thosebytheconquestsmadeontheMoors，andothers，infine，whichwerebeyondthelimitsofGermany，andinlatertimesreceivedinsomemeasureasecondbirthbytheestablishmentofChristianity。
Whenthesefiefswereatwill，theyweregiventosuchaswerecapableofdoingserviceforthem，and，therefore，wereneverbestowedonminors；butwhentheybecameperpetual，thelordstookthefiefintotheirownhands，tillthepupilcameofage，eithertoincreasetheirownemoluments，ortotrainthewardtotheuseofarms。[213]Thisiswhatourcustomscalltheguardianshipofanobleman’schildren，whichisfoundedonprinciplesdifferentfromthoseoftutelage，andisentirelyadistinctthingfromit。
Whenthefiefswereforlife，itwascustomarytovowfealtyforafief；