scutage

A medieval lord receives scutage from his vassals.

Definition

1. Noun (historical):
   • A monetary payment in lieu of military service: "scutage" refers to a sum of money paid by a vassal to his feudal lord in medieval Europe, especially in England, to be exempted from the obligation to provide military service (knight service) for a specified period or campaign.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The king imposed a scutage on all knights who did not join the crusade. (A tax or fee paid by knights to avoid fighting.)
  • Many barons resented the frequent scutages levied by King John. (Payments demanded in place of military duty.)

Advanced Usage

• "to levy scutage": to officially demand or collect this payment.

  • The crown could levy scutage only with the consent of the Great Council. (The king could impose the fee only if the council agreed.)

• "scutage as a source of revenue": the use of this payment as a way for the monarchy to raise funds.

  • Scutage became a significant source of royal income during the 12th and 13th centuries. (The payment was used to finance wars instead of requiring personal service.)

Variants and Related Words

• Scutage (n): no direct variants; the word is obsolete in modern English except in historical contexts.
• Scutifer (n): a shield-bearer or squire (from Latin , shield).
  • The scutifer carried the knight's shield into battle. (A servant who assisted a knight.)

Synonyms

• Knight's fee: the land tenure requiring military service (not a direct synonym but related).
• Tax: a general term for compulsory payments to a ruler.
• Exemption fee: a payment to avoid a duty (descriptive, not a historical term).

Phrasal Verbs

• None: "scutage" is a noun and does not form phrasal verbs.

Related Idioms

• None: "scutage" is a technical historical term and does not appear in common idioms.