The nobles paid homage and fealty to the king in exchange for land. Homage was a ceremony in which the noble knelt before the king and placed his hands in the king's hands, promising to be his loyal subject. Fealty was an oath of loyalty that the noble swore to the king. In return for the noble's homage and fealty, the king granted him a fief, which was a piece of land that the noble could use to support himself and his family. The king also gave the noble certain rights and privileges, such as the right to collect taxes from the people who lived on his land and the right to build a castle.