Legal Definitions - droit du seigneur

Droit du seigneur refers to a debated historical concept, often translated from French as "right of the lord," associated with feudal societies. It describes a supposed customary right attributed to a feudal lord, allowing him to claim sexual intercourse with a tenant's bride on her wedding night. Alternatively, it is also understood as a supposed custom requiring the newlywed couple to abstain from sexual relations on their wedding night, perhaps as a symbolic gesture of the lord's authority or a form of taxation. Historians generally agree that there is little concrete evidence to suggest this was a widespread or legally enforced practice.

• Imagine a fictional medieval duchy where local folklore recounts tales of Baron Von Grasp, who, upon the marriage of any peasant on his lands, would traditionally summon the bride to his castle for the wedding night. This practice, whether real or exaggerated in legend, would be an illustration of droit du seigneur, representing the lord's supposed claim over his subjects, even extending to intimate aspects of their lives.

• Consider a historical play set in a feudal village where the local lord, Duke Ironfist, enforces a peculiar custom: all newlywed couples among his serfs are forbidden from consummating their marriage on their wedding night. Instead, they must wait until the following evening, a rule presented as a symbolic acknowledgment of the Duke's ultimate authority over his lands and people. This enforced period of abstinence on the wedding night would be another interpretation of droit du seigneur.

• In a historical simulation game, players manage a medieval estate. One scenario involves a "fealty tax" where newly married serfs can either symbolically present their bride to the lord (a representation of the supposed droit du seigneur) or pay a special fee to be exempt from this symbolic gesture. This fee, often called a "marriage fine," would represent the commutation of the supposed right, transforming it into a financial obligation that still underscores the lord's power and control over his tenants' personal lives.