Female leader leaves children land with strings attached (4)
I believe the answer is:
fief
'children land with strings attached' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'female leader' is the wordplay.
'female' becomes 'fie' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'leader' becomes 'f' (I have seen 'German leader ' mean 'f' so perhaps 'leader' could also mean 'f').
'fie'+'f'='FIEF'
'leaves' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for fief that I've seen before include "Sphere of control" , "Land held in return for feudal or military service" , "Feudal holding" , "Grant of land" .)