Legal Definitions - centena

A centena was a historical administrative or territorial division, primarily found in early Germanic societies such as those of the Franks, Goths, and Lombards. It typically referred to a district or community that was organized around a group of one hundred freemen, often for purposes of local governance, military organization, or judicial administration. This concept is similar to the "hundred" found in Anglo-Saxon England.

Here are some examples illustrating the application of a centena:

• Imagine a Frankish kingdom in the 7th century. To manage its vast territories, the king might have divided regions into smaller units. A particular area, perhaps a cluster of villages, could have been designated a centena because it was home to approximately one hundred free male landowners who were responsible for local justice and order. This example illustrates the centena as a local administrative and judicial district, with its structure directly tied to the presence and responsibilities of one hundred freemen.

• During a period of conflict, a Lombard duke might have called upon his subjects to form a fighting force. A centena could represent a military levy, where a specific geographical area was expected to contribute one hundred freemen to the duke's army, forming a basic unit of military organization. This demonstrates the centena as a unit for military recruitment and organization, directly linked to the number of available freemen within a defined territory.

• In a Gothic settlement, the local leader might have used the centena as a way to organize the collection of taxes or the allocation of communal resources. Each centena would be responsible for contributing a certain amount or managing a specific portion of land, with the one hundred freemen within it collectively overseeing these duties. This shows the centena functioning as an economic administrative unit, where the collective responsibility of 100 freemen was central to managing community resources and obligations.