Legal Definitions - liberum servitium

Liberum servitium is a Latin term originating from historical English feudal law, meaning "free service." It refers to the type of service owed by a free tenant (an individual who was not a serf or villein) to their lord. This service was typically considered honorable, fixed, and certain, often involving military duties, attendance at court, or specific payments, rather than direct manual labor on the lord's land. It served to distinguish free tenants, who held land under tenures like knight-service or frankalmoign, from unfree tenants, who owed "base" or "villein" service, which involved personal labor and often uncertain duties.

• Example 1: Military Service

  Imagine a knight in medieval England who held a manor from a powerful baron. In exchange for this land, the knight was obligated to provide military service to the baron for a specified number of days each year, often bringing a certain number of armed men. This military duty, being fixed, honorable, and performed by a freeman, would be considered liberum servitium. It was a defined obligation, distinct from the daily manual labor or personal service expected of a serf on the baron's demesne.

• Example 2: Court Attendance and Fixed Payments

  Consider a freeholder who held a small estate directly from the king. Their obligation might be to attend the king's court twice a year to offer counsel or to pay a fixed annual sum of money (known as scutage, if it was in lieu of military service). This regular, defined attendance or payment, rather than working the king's fields, exemplifies liberum servitium. It was a service of a free person, clearly specified, and not considered a base or servile duty tied to personal labor.

• Example 3: Religious Service (Frankalmoign)

  A monastery might hold land from a lord under a tenure called "frankalmoign," which translates to "free alms." In return for the land, the monastery's primary obligation was to offer prayers for the lord's soul and the souls of his ancestors. This spiritual service, though intangible, was considered a highly honorable and free service, distinct from any form of manual labor or base duty. Therefore, the prayers offered by the monks for their lord would fall under the category of liberum servitium.