(Ligius) properly signifies a vassal, who holds a kind of fee, that binds him in a closer obligation to his lord than other people. The term seems to be derived from the French lier, to bind, on account of a ceremony used in rendering faith or homage; which was by locking the vassal's thumb or his hand in that of the lord, to show that he was fast bound by his oath of fidelity. Cujas, Vignère, and Bignon, choose rather to derive the word from the same source with leudis or leodi, loyal, faithful. But Du Cange coincides in the opinion of those who derive it from liet, a kind of vassals, so firmly attached to their lord, on account of lands or fees held of him, that they were obliged to do him all manner of service, as if they were his domestics. He adds, this was formerly called ligium servitium, and the person ligae. In this sense, the word is used (Leg. Edw. cap. 29): "Judei sub tutela regis ligae debent esse;" that is, wholly under his protection. By liege homage, the vassal was obliged to serve his lord towards all, and against all, excepting his father. In this sense, the word was used in opposition to simple homage, which only obliged the vassal to pay the rights and accustomed dues to his lord, and not to bear arms against the emperor, prince, or other superior lord; so that a liege man was a person wholly devoted to his lord, and entirely under his command. But it must be observed, there were formerly two kinds of liege homage: the one, by which the vassal was obliged to serve his lord against all, without exception even of his sovereign; and the other, by which he was bound to serve him against all, except such other lords as he had formerly owed liege homage to.

In our old statutes, lieges and liege people are terms peculiarly appropriated to the king's subjects; as being liges, ligi, or ligati, obliged to pay allegiance to him (8 Henry VI., 14 Hen. VIII. &c.), though private persons had their lieges too. Reinoldus, Dei gratia, abatis Ramesiae, preposito et hominibus de Brancasterre, et omnibus vicinis Francisc et Anglis salutem. Sciatis me dedisse terram Ulfe, in depedone (hodie depedale) huiu Boselino, et uxorii ejus Alfinice: ea conditione quod effecti sint homines legis.

a province of the Netherlands, formed in part out of what, before the French Revolution, was the independent ecclesiastical state of that name, and was by France divided into the departments of the Ourthe and of the Sambre and Meuse. It contains also small parts taken from the duchy of Limburg, from the county of Dahlen and the abbey of Stablo, and also of certain villages known by the name of Terres de Redemption. It extends in N. lat. from 49° 40' to 50° 46', and in E. long. from 4° 49' to 5° 57'; and is 2255 square miles in extent. It comprehends four arrondissements, divided into nine cantons, and those into 466 communes, containing 360,000 inhabitants, who are chiefly of the Walloon race, and speak that language, though of late years the use of the French tongue has been very much extended. The face of the country in the northern part is hilly; but in the southern, the largest division is mountainous, where the Ardennes forms a considerable portion. The soil is very various. On both sides the Meuse, towards the province of Limburg, there are some plains of moderate fertility, and well cultivated; but on that part where the Ourthe joins the Meuse, and especially towards Luxemburg, the land is rocky and stony, with much slate, which last is the prevailing stone in the woody district of the Ardennes. Agriculture in the north affords moderate products, in the south very poor returns; so that an importation of corn is regularly required, though the extension of potatoes, which has taken place of late years, has diminished the demand for grain. The woods are one of the chief sources of the wealth procured from the soil, and they cover more than 200,000 acres. There are mines producing iron and coal, which, before the revolution effected in Brussels in 1830, was a great source of benefit, the former yielding employment to numerous persons in making ironmongery goods; and the latter being of vast importance when the fuel consumed in Holland was drawn by the Meuse from Liège, instead of being furnished by sea from England. Besides the iron manufactures, there are others of paper, woodwork, leather, beer, and corn spirits. The city of Liège, the capital of the province and of the arrondissement of the same name, is situated on the left bank of the Meuse, where it is joined by the Ourthe. It is in a picturesque and fertile district, in a valley of contracted extent. It is fortified, and defended by two powerful citadels on the western and northern sides. It is not well built, though there are some spacious houses and splendid churches, with pleasing promenades. It contains 8000 houses, and 48,000 inhabitants, who are chiefly employed in the fabrication of great guns and small arms, cutlery, and other iron wares. There are breweries, distilleries, and tanneries, and other branches of industry; but all have suffered severely by political occurrences.