Legal Definitions - laesiwerp

Laesiwerp is a historical legal term referring to something that has been given over, delivered, or surrendered into the control or possession of another party. It describes an item or property that changes hands, often implying a transfer of authority or ownership.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a laesiwerp:

• Imagine a medieval peasant who, as part of their feudal obligations, regularly delivered a portion of their annual grain harvest to the local lord. In this scenario, the sacks of grain, once harvested and under the peasant's control, became a laesiwerp when they were handed over to the lord's estate. They were a thing given and surrendered into the lord's power as a form of tribute or rent.

• Consider a situation following a military conquest where the defeated city's leadership agreed to hand over its entire treasury and all its armaments to the victorious army. The gold, silver, and weapons, previously under the city's command, would be considered laesiwerp because they were delivered into the hands and power of the conquering forces as a condition of surrender.

• In a historical context where a merchant needed to secure a loan, they might have offered a valuable piece of their inventory, such as a bolt of fine silk or a rare spice, to the lender as collateral. This valuable item, while temporarily held by the lender until the debt was repaid, would be a laesiwerp, as it was a thing delivered into the lender's possession and power as a form of guarantee.