Legal Definitions - coterellus

A coterellus was a historical term from medieval feudal law, referring to a specific type of servile tenant. This individual lived in a small dwelling, often a cottage, and was bound to the land and the lord who owned it. Unlike tenants with more defined rights, a coterellus held a particularly low status, characterized by a profound lack of personal freedom. Their person, their children (often referred to as "issue"), and their possessions ("goods") were essentially at the complete disposal of their lord, meaning the lord had significant control over their lives, labor, and even their family's future.

Here are some examples illustrating the status of a coterellus:

• Example 1: Control over Labor and Movement
  Imagine a medieval lord who decides to build a new mill on his estate. He could command a coterellus named Elara to leave her small plot of land and work exclusively on the mill's construction for several months, even if it meant her own crops would suffer from neglect. Elara would have no legal right to refuse or demand compensation for her lost harvest.

  This example demonstrates the lord's absolute control over the coterellus's "person" (their labor and time) and indirectly over their "goods" (the output of their land), highlighting Elara's lack of personal autonomy and her obligation to serve the lord's will.

• Example 2: Control over Family and Future
  Consider a lord who wishes to strengthen ties with a neighboring estate or consolidate labor resources. He might arrange for the marriage of a coterellus's daughter, Lyra, to a tenant from another part of his domain or even a tenant on a different lord's land. Lyra and her parents would have no say in this decision; the lord's command would be binding.

  This illustrates the lord's power over the "issue" (children) of the coterellus. The family's personal choices regarding marriage were overridden by the lord's economic or political interests, underscoring their lack of familial autonomy and the lord's proprietary claim over their lineage.

• Example 3: Control over Possessions
  Suppose a coterellus named Thomas had managed to save a small amount of grain from a good harvest and had a few well-maintained tools. If the lord's granary ran low due to a poor season or if the lord needed tools for a communal project, the lord could demand a significant portion of Thomas's stored grain or some of his tools for the lord's own use or to distribute to other tenants.

  This demonstrates the lord's disposal over the coterellus's "goods." Even personal savings or tools were not truly the coterellus's own, but could be claimed by the lord at will, illustrating the absence of private property rights for the coterellus and their precarious economic position.