Legal Definitions - liberum maritagium

Liberum maritagium, also known as frankmarriage, was a specific type of land gift used in medieval English law, typically made at the time of a marriage.

It involved a donor, usually a father, granting land to his daughter and her husband. The defining characteristic of liberum maritagium was that the land was held "freely," meaning the couple and their immediate heirs were exempt from performing feudal services (such as military service, rent, or homage) to the donor's family for a certain period. This exemption usually lasted for three generations. After this period, the land would then become subject to the customary feudal services, and the new family line would hold it as part of the larger feudal structure.

The purpose of liberum maritagium was to provide for a daughter and her new family, allowing them to establish themselves without immediate financial or service burdens, and to create a new, independent branch of the family line.

• Example 1: Establishing a New Noble Line

  Lord Ashworth, a powerful baron, arranges the marriage of his daughter, Lady Eleanor, to Sir Gareth, a respected but less wealthy knight. To ensure his daughter's prosperity and to elevate Sir Gareth's standing, Lord Ashworth grants them a substantial estate under liberum maritagium. For three generations, Eleanor and Gareth's descendants will hold this land without owing any feudal services or homage directly to Lord Ashworth or his heirs. This allows their new family line to grow and consolidate its wealth and influence independently before eventually becoming subject to the traditional feudal obligations of the barony.

  This example illustrates how liberum maritagium provided a foundation for a new family branch, granting them temporary independence from feudal duties to establish their own lineage and status.

• Example 2: Providing for a Daughter's Security

  A wealthy merchant, concerned for his daughter Isabella's future after her marriage to a promising but unlanded scholar, grants her and her husband a valuable farm and its surrounding lands as liberum maritagium. This gift ensures that Isabella and her husband have a secure source of income and a home, free from the immediate demands of feudal service to the merchant's family. The arrangement guarantees their financial stability for their children and grandchildren, allowing them to focus on their family's growth without the burden of immediate feudal obligations.

  Here, liberum maritagium serves as a form of financial and social security, ensuring the daughter and her new family have a stable start without immediate feudal burdens.

• Example 3: Strategic Alliance Through Land

  In a bid to solidify a political alliance between two powerful families, the Duke of Blackwood offers his niece, Lady Rowena, in marriage to the Earl of Stonehaven's son, Lord Alaric. As part of the marriage settlement, the Duke grants Lord Alaric and Lady Rowena a strategically important manor under the terms of liberum maritagium. This not only provides for the couple but also signals a deep commitment to the alliance, as the land will be held freely by their descendants for generations, fostering a lasting bond between the two houses before the land eventually reverts to a more traditional feudal tenure under the Duke's successors.

  This example demonstrates liberum maritagium as a tool for forging and strengthening alliances, using the gift of land and temporary freedom from feudal service to create a long-term connection between families.