Legal Definitions - lieger

Lieger is an archaic term for a ledger. In its historical usage, a lieger referred to a principal book of accounts or a permanent register where important transactions, records, or documents were systematically recorded for long-term reference. It served as a foundational record-keeping tool, similar to what we would now call a main account book or a master register.

• Example 1 (Financial Accounts): Consider a 16th-century trading company based in Venice. The head accountant would meticulously record every shipment of goods, every payment received, and every debt owed in a large, bound volume. This essential book, which provided a complete financial history of the company's operations, would have been referred to as the company's "lieger."

  Explanation: This illustrates "lieger" as a principal book of accounts, a permanent financial record crucial for tracking the company's economic activities and obligations.

• Example 2 (Legal and Property Records): In a medieval English abbey, the monastic scribes maintained a "lieger" that contained copies of all charters from the king, deeds for donated lands, and records of feudal obligations owed to the abbey. This comprehensive book was the authoritative source for proving the abbey's rights to its properties and its historical privileges.

  Explanation: Here, "lieger" functions as a permanent register for important legal and property documents, serving as a definitive reference for the abbey's territorial and legal claims.

• Example 3 (Governmental Records): Imagine a small European principality in the 17th century. The prince's chancellery kept a "lieger" detailing all treaties signed with neighboring states, records of taxes collected from different regions, and official decrees issued by the prince. This book was vital for maintaining the principality's administrative history and its diplomatic relations.

  Explanation: This example demonstrates "lieger" as a permanent register for significant governmental and diplomatic records, providing an authoritative account of the principality's administration and foreign policy.