Legal Definitions - canum

Canum refers to a historical form of payment or tribute. In feudal systems, it was a duty owed by a tenant to their lord, typically consisting of agricultural produce or other goods cultivated from the land the tenant occupied.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Example 1: Grain Harvest

  Imagine a medieval peasant farmer who cultivates a plot of land under the authority of a local baron. As part of their feudal agreement, the farmer is obligated to deliver a specific portion of their annual wheat harvest directly to the baron's granary. This delivery of grain serves as the farmer's canum, fulfilling their duty to the lord with produce from the land they work.

• Example 2: Livestock Contribution

  Consider a shepherd living on a lord's estate, grazing their flock on the lord's pastures. Each year, the shepherd is required to provide a certain number of lambs or a set amount of wool to the lord. This contribution of livestock or its products represents the shepherd's canum, a tribute paid from the resources derived from the land to their feudal superior.

• Example 3: Vineyard Yield

  Picture a tenant who manages a small vineyard on a duke's sprawling estate. Under their tenancy agreement, a percentage of the wine produced from the vineyard's grapes must be given to the duke's household or sold on his behalf. This portion of the wine, a direct product of the land and the tenant's labor, constitutes the tenant's canum to the duke.