Legal Definitions - obses

The term obses (plural: obsides) refers to an individual held captive by an opposing force during a time of conflict or war. This person is typically held as a guarantee or security to ensure that certain demands, treaties, or agreements are honored by the party from whom the obses was taken.

Here are a few examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine two ancient kingdoms, engaged in a prolonged border dispute, finally agree to a peace treaty. To ensure that one kingdom truly withdraws its armies from contested lands as promised, the king sends his eldest daughter to live within the capital of the opposing kingdom for a specified period. Her safety and freedom are directly tied to her father's adherence to the treaty terms.

  In this scenario, the king's daughter serves as an obses. She is held by the opposing force as a living guarantee that her father's kingdom will fulfill its obligations under the peace agreement.

• Consider a historical civil war where a powerful rebel faction captures a high-ranking general from the government's army. The rebels declare that they will hold the general until the government agrees to a prisoner exchange, releasing several of their own captured commanders.

  The captured general is an obses. His captivity is used as leverage by the rebel faction to compel the government to meet their specific demands related to the conflict.

• During a medieval siege, a city's defenders, facing imminent defeat, negotiate terms of surrender with the besieging army. As part of the agreement, the city's lord and several members of his noble court are handed over to the besiegers until all weapons are laid down and the city gates are fully opened. If the city fails to comply, the lord and nobles face severe consequences.

  The lord and his court members are obsides. They are held by the attacking force as a direct assurance that the city will uphold its end of the surrender agreement without further resistance.