Feudal aid facts for kids
Feudal aid was a special payment made in the Middle Ages. It was a financial duty that a vassal (someone who held land from a lord) or a tenant had to give to their lord (the person who owned the land). This custom was used in places like England, France, Germany, and Italy.
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What Was Feudal Aid?
Feudal aid started in the late 1000s in northern France. It was a payment from a vassal or tenant to their lord for specific events. These events were usually:
- When the lord's oldest son was knighted.
- When the lord's oldest daughter got married.
- If the lord was captured and needed money for a ransom.
Sometimes, a fourth reason was added: when the lord went on a Crusade (a religious war). Lords might also ask for aid if their own superiors were taxing them. They would then try to get money from their vassals.
Why Did Feudal Aid Start?
Vassals traditionally had to help their lord. This help was first physical, like fighting in wars or attending court. Over time, this idea of "aid" grew to include financial help. These money gifts became expected, but only for certain important events.
Feudal Aid in France
The first recorded royal feudal aid in France was in 1137. King Louis VI collected it to pay for his son's marriage. His son, the future Louis VII, married Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Louis VII also collected an aid in 1147 to pay for his own crusade. Later kings, like Philip II and Louis IX, continued to collect aids for crusades. Under Philip IV, even towns and lower-level vassals had to pay these aids.
Feudal Aid in England
The idea of feudal aid came to England after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. In England, the three main reasons for collecting aid were:
- Knighting the eldest son.
- Marrying the eldest daughter.
- Paying a lord's ransom.
The amount that could be collected for each event was usually limited by custom. English kings used their right to collect aids a lot. King Henry I promised to follow customs for these payments. However, records show he often collected more than allowed.
Royal Needs and Magna Carta
Under King Henry II, the government needed more and more money. So, they kept collecting aids whenever possible and for as much as they could get. For example, in 1168, Henry II collected an aid for his daughter's marriage. This aid was collected not only from nobles but also from towns and royal lands.
Later, the Magna Carta (a famous English document) limited when a lord could ask for aid.
- Chapter XII of Magna Carta said the king could only collect aids for the three usual reasons. If he wanted more, the barons had to agree.
- Chapter XV regulated the aids that barons could collect from their own vassals. It also said the king could not let a baron demand unusual aids from their vassals.
Many examples of English Feudal Aids were written down in a large collection of books. These books are called Inquisitions and Assessments Relating to Feudal Aids, with Other Analogous Documents Preserved in the Public Record Office, A.D. 1284-1431.
Feudal Aid in Germany and Italy
In the German empire, vassals did give gifts to their lords. However, these gifts did not become a required payment for specific events. But, aids for the usual reasons were sometimes collected from German towns in the 1100s and 1200s. These payments are mentioned in town charters (official documents).
In Italy, the Normans likely brought the custom of feudal aids when they conquered Sicily and southern Italy. Evidence for feudal aids in northern Italy appeared later. It might have come from France or Sicily.
Other Similar Payments
Feudal aids were different from other payments:
- Feudal incidents: These were collected when a vassal died.
- Tallage: This was a tax put on towns and royal lands.
Sometimes, during the reign of Henry III, some voluntary taxes were called "aids." But these were not the same as the feudal aids that vassals owed. Bishops also sometimes asked for aids. For example, they might ask for money to go on a pilgrimage or to help build cathedrals and churches.
Problems and Questions
Historians have looked closely at feudal aids. Some evidence for feudal aids only dates from the 11th century. This makes some traditional ideas about their very early history a bit uncertain.
Also, it was thought that aids were mainly collected from people who held fiefs (land given by a lord). But in reality, these payments were often collected from peasants more than from nobles. The earliest records of feudal aids do not always show a clear lord-vassal relationship. This also makes some traditional ideas about their early history less certain.
See also
