Legal Definitions - lowbote

Lowbote is a historical legal term referring to a payment made as compensation for the death of an individual who was killed during a public disturbance, riot, or period of civil unrest.

• Example 1: Imagine a medieval town experiencing a severe famine, leading to widespread public protests that escalate into violent riots over food distribution. During the chaos, a local weaver, who was simply trying to protect his shop and was not involved in the direct conflict, is tragically killed when a mob sets fire to a nearby building. In such a historical scenario, the local governing authority or the community itself might have been obligated to pay lowbote to the weaver's surviving family as a form of restitution for his death amidst the public disturbance.

  This example illustrates lowbote because the weaver's death occurred as a direct result of a public disturbance (the riots), and the payment would serve as compensation to his family for that loss.

• Example 2: Consider a historical situation where a dispute between two powerful noble families in a region escalates into a large-scale armed skirmish involving their retainers and local villagers. During the ensuing melee, a traveling merchant, who was merely passing through the area and became caught in the crossfire, is fatally wounded. To prevent further escalation and to acknowledge the injustice of the merchant's death, the feuding noble families, or the regional lord, might have been compelled to provide lowbote to the merchant's kin.

  Here, the merchant's death happened within a violent disturbance between factions, and the lowbote would be the compensatory payment made to his family to address this loss.

• Example 3: Picture a historical port city where tensions between rival guilds over trade routes boil over into a series of street brawls and public unrest. During one particularly violent confrontation, a young apprentice, who was not a direct participant but was attempting to flee the scene, is accidentally trampled to death by the surging crowd. The city council, seeking to restore order and provide some measure of justice, might have mandated that the responsible guilds contribute to a fund to pay lowbote to the apprentice's family.

  This scenario demonstrates lowbote as the apprentice's death occurred during a significant public disturbance (the guild conflicts), and the payment would be compensation offered to his family for their tragic loss.