scutage
/ˈskjuːtɪdʒ
/noun [mass noun]
(In a feudal society) money paid by a vassal to his lord in lieu of military service.By the 13th cent. the arrangements were unravelling as lords increasingly paid scutage rather than perform knight service and vassals tried to commute their own obligations....
- Most of the head tenants and some of the under tenants held on condition of knight service, later commuted into a money payment in lieu of service called scutage.
- It was normally possible to make a payment, known as scutage or shield money, in place of performing feudal military service.
Origin
Late Middle English: from medieval Latin scutagium, from Latin scutum 'shield'.