demesne

thumb|300px|Conjectural map of a feudal Manorialism|manor. The mustard-coloured areas are part of the demesne, the hatched areas part of the [[glebe. The manor house, residence of the lord and location of the manorial court, can be seen in the mid-southern part of the manor.]]

A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudated by him to others as sub-tenants. In contrast, the entire territory controlled by a monarch both directly and indirectly via their tenant lords would typically be referred to as their realm. The concept originated in the Kingdom of France and found its way to foreign lands influenced by it or its fiefdoms.