The Basque señoríos (literally, the Basque lordships) were a series of feudal territories that came into existence in the Basque Country in the Middle Ages. The lordships were hereditary land titles over territories of variable size under the name of a lord or count. The title and lands were often recognized by kings to Basque chieftains. It is loosely related to the concept of manorialism as the king had to swear allegiance to the Foral law in exchange for military assistance from the Basque chiefs, who were considered sovereign over their own lands and people. The Basque señoríos generally conformed vassal states of larger kingdoms; most of them started as part of the Kingdom of Pamplona (later Navarre) but were integrated into the Kingdom of Castile by the 13th century. The Basque term jaurreria (pronounced ) means "the lord's country" and it is usually used to refer to these feudal territories.