Legal Definitions - chiefry

Chiefry refers to a historical payment made within a feudal system. It was a relatively small rent or tribute that a landholder, who held land under a lord or sovereign, paid to acknowledge their superior's ultimate ownership of the land and their own subordinate position. This payment was distinct from other services, such as military duty, that might also be owed.

• Example 1: A Baron's Symbolic Payment

  Imagine a powerful baron in 12th-century England who holds vast estates directly from the King. Each year, the baron pays a symbolic sum of one silver shilling to the Royal Treasury.

  This payment, known as chiefry, serves as a formal acknowledgment by the baron (the feudal landholder) that the King (the sovereign) is the ultimate owner of the land, despite the baron's extensive control and wealth. The small amount highlights its symbolic nature as a rent rather than a primary source of income for the King.

• Example 2: A Knight's Acknowledgment of Tenure

  Consider a knight in medieval France who is granted a small fief (landholding) by a duke in exchange for military service. In addition to his military duties, the knight is required to pay a modest annual chiefry of two bushels of grain to the duke.

  Here, the knight is the feudal landholder, and the duke is his immediate sovereign. The two bushels of grain represent the "small rent" or chiefry, which formally recognizes the duke's authority over the land and the knight's tenure, separate from the more substantial military service.

• Example 3: A Lord's Obligation for a Castle

  Picture a lord in the Holy Roman Empire who holds a strategically important castle and its surrounding lands directly from the Emperor. Annually, the lord sends a single golden coin to the Imperial court as a chiefry.

  This example illustrates the lord (feudal landholder) paying a nominal rent (the golden coin) to the Emperor (the sovereign). This chiefry reinforces the Emperor's ultimate claim to the land and the lord's loyalty, even though the lord might also be responsible for defending the territory and providing troops.