Legal Definitions - mise money

The term mise money refers to a historical payment made as part of a formal agreement to acquire a specific right or advantage. It was essentially a contractual fee paid to gain a particular privilege, often in contexts such as feudal arrangements, trade guilds, or royal grants.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a farmer in medieval England who wished to graze his livestock on a specific, fertile common pasture that was technically under the control of the local lord. The farmer might enter into a formal agreement with the lord, paying a sum of mise money. This payment would grant him the exclusive privilege to use that particular pasture for his animals for a defined period, ensuring his livestock had access to better grazing than others.

  This illustrates mise money as a payment made under a contractual arrangement to secure a specific privilege (the exclusive right to use a particular pasture).

• Consider a skilled artisan, such as a master weaver, in a bustling 16th-century European town. To establish his workshop and sell his goods within the town walls, he might be required to join the local Weavers' Guild, which held significant control over trade. He would pay a substantial entry fee, which could be considered mise money, to the Guild. This payment granted him the privilege of operating his business legally within the town, benefiting from the Guild's protections, and accessing its network of suppliers and customers.

  Here, the payment functions as a contractual fee to gain the privilege of practicing a specific trade in a particular location, sanctioned by a powerful professional organization.

• In the 17th century, a wealthy merchant might seek to gain control over the lucrative trade route for exotic silks from the Far East. He could negotiate directly with the monarch, offering a significant sum of mise money to the royal treasury. In return, the King might issue a royal charter, granting the merchant the exclusive privilege (a monopoly) to import silks from a specific region for a set number of years, thereby eliminating competition and ensuring immense profits.

  This example demonstrates mise money as a payment made under a formal agreement (a royal charter) to acquire a valuable and exclusive privilege (a trade monopoly).