Legal Definitions - de annua pensione

De annua pensione is a historical legal term from medieval England. It refers to a specific type of royal command, issued as a formal written order by the monarch. This writ compelled a religious institution, such as an abbey or a priory, to provide a designated annual payment, essentially a yearly pension, to a particular chaplain or cleric who served the king and was explicitly named in the document.

Here are a few examples illustrating how this term would have applied:

• Imagine King Edward III wished to honor his trusted confessor, Father Michael, for years of loyal service. Rather than drawing funds directly from the royal treasury, the King could issue a de annua pensione writ to a prosperous Benedictine abbey. This writ would legally obligate the abbey to pay Father Michael a set annual sum for his upkeep, ensuring his financial security as a direct command from the crown.

  This illustrates the term because it involves a royal command (King Edward III) directed at a religious institution (Benedictine abbey) to provide a specific annual payment (pension) to a named royal cleric (Father Michael).

• Consider a scenario where a medieval English queen, perhaps Eleanor of Aquitaine acting as regent, sought to support a scholar-cleric, Master Gregory, whom she wished to employ for diplomatic correspondence. To fund his work without depleting her immediate resources, she might issue a de annua pensione writ to a wealthy Cistercian priory. The writ would legally bind the priory to provide Master Gregory with a yearly stipend, allowing him to dedicate himself to royal service.

  This example demonstrates the term by showing a royal authority (Queen Eleanor) commanding a religious institution (Cistercian priory) to make an annual payment (stipend) to a specific cleric (Master Gregory) for his service to the crown.

• In another instance, a king might use a de annua pensione writ as a means of both rewarding a favored chaplain, Sir John, and subtly asserting royal authority over a particular monastery. If Sir John was appointed to a minor ecclesiastical role with limited income, the king could issue a writ to a nearby Augustinian monastery, instructing them to pay Sir John a supplementary annual pension. This not only provided for Sir John but also served as a reminder to the monastery of its obligations to the crown.

  This illustrates the term as it involves a royal directive (the king) compelling a religious institution (Augustinian monastery) to provide a yearly financial contribution (supplementary pension) to a specific cleric (Sir John) in the king's service.