Legal Definitions - ingenuitas regni

Ingenuitas regni is a historical Latin legal term that refers to the collective body of free people within a kingdom. It primarily encompassed the common citizens, such as freemen, yeomen, and the general populace, who were not serfs or slaves. While predominantly used for the commonalty, it was occasionally extended to include the nobility, signifying all free subjects of the crown.

Here are some examples illustrating the application of ingenuitas regni:

• Economic Contribution: Imagine a historical kingdom where prosperous merchants, skilled artisans, and independent farmers form the backbone of the economy. These individuals, though not part of the aristocracy, were free citizens who owned property, conducted trade, and contributed taxes and labor to the realm. This collective group, vital for the kingdom's stability and wealth, would represent the ingenuitas regni, highlighting the commonalty's essential role.

• Military Levy: Consider a scenario where a king, facing an external threat, issues a call for all able-bodied free men to join the defense of the realm. This levy would include not only knights and lords (the nobility) but also a significant number of yeomen, freeholders, and urban militiamen. The entire assembly of these free subjects, united in their duty to defend the kingdom, could be collectively referred to as the ingenuitas regni, demonstrating how the term could encompass both commoners and nobility in a shared endeavor.

• Petition for Rights: In a medieval kingdom, a group of influential burgesses (citizens of a borough) and free landowners might collectively draft a petition to the monarch or a royal council, seeking new charters or redress for grievances. These individuals, representing the free and propertied commoners, were asserting their collective voice and interests within the kingdom's legal and political framework. Their collective action would be an expression of the ingenuitas regni seeking to protect or expand its rights and freedoms.