Legal Definitions - fithwite

Fithwite (also known as futhwite) is an ancient legal term originating from Anglo-Saxon law. It refers to a fine or penalty imposed upon an individual who failed to fulfill their military obligations, specifically by refusing to participate in a required military expedition or by deserting from the army. Essentially, it was a punishment for dereliction of duty related to military service.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a scenario in 10th-century England where a local lord summons all able-bodied men from his lands to join a defensive force against an invading army. A particular farmer, despite being fit for service and having been duly notified, deliberately chooses to ignore the summons and remains on his farm, refusing to join the military muster.

  This farmer's refusal to participate in the required military expedition would make him liable for a fithwite, a penalty for his failure to answer the call to arms.

• Consider a soldier who has pledged allegiance to his king and is part of a military campaign. During a period of intense fighting, he becomes fearful and, without permission or honorable discharge, abandons his post and attempts to flee back to his home village, leaving his unit short-handed.

  This soldier's act of leaving the army without authorization constitutes desertion. Under Anglo-Saxon legal customs, such an act would have been punishable by a fithwite, a fine for his military dereliction of duty.

• Picture a freeman in an early medieval community who, as part of his feudal obligations, is expected to provide military service to his lord for a certain number of days each year. When the lord issues a call for men to patrol the borders and deter raiders, this freeman, despite having no legitimate excuse, intentionally avoids the summons and fails to report for duty.

  In this instance, the freeman is failing to provide the military service he is legally bound to offer. His deliberate avoidance of the summons would be considered a breach of his military duty, making him liable for a fithwite.