Legal Definitions - neife

A neife was a historical legal term referring to a woman born into a state of serfdom or bondage. In systems like medieval feudalism, a neife was bound to the land and the lord who owned it, inheriting her status from her parents. She was not considered free, and her labor, movement, and even marriage were typically controlled by her lord.

• Example 1: In 14th-century England, a young woman named Elara is born on the estate of Lord Blackwood. Her mother and father are both serfs, tied to the land and obligated to work for the lord, tilling fields and performing other duties. Because Elara inherited her parents' status and was born into this specific condition of servitude on the lord's land, she would be legally classified as a neife. Her life and labor would be controlled by Lord Blackwood, and she would not be free to leave or marry without his consent.

• Example 2: When Lord Beaumont decides to sell a section of his estate to Lady Eleanor, the transaction includes not only the physical land but also the people living and working on it. Among these individuals is a woman named Agnes, who was born on that land to serf parents. Agnes is considered a neife because she is a female serf whose status is tied to the land itself. Her "ownership" effectively transfers with the land to Lady Eleanor, demonstrating that a neife's person was not free but rather an appendage of the estate.

• Example 3: Isabella, a young woman whose parents are serfs on the Duke's estate, dreams of moving to a nearby town to become a weaver. However, she is legally forbidden from leaving the Duke's land without his explicit permission, and even if she were to marry a free man, her children would still inherit her servile status. Isabella's inability to freely choose her residence or occupation, and the fact that her children would automatically inherit her unfree status, are defining characteristics of a neife. Her life is legally constrained by her birth into serfdom, highlighting the hereditary and restrictive nature of the term.