Lehnsmann

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A Lehnsmann (plural: Lehnsleute or Lehnsmänner) or Lehnsnehmer (also spelt Lehens-) was a nobleman in the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries, who, as a liegeman was obliged to render service, goods in kind and loyalty to another nobleman, his liege lord (Lehnsherr), in return for which he was rewarded either by a grant of land (a fief or Lehen), which included the population living within it, or by receiving an office. A distinction was made between the gift (which was only valid for the lifetime of the liegeman) and the inheritable fee. The economic circumstances of the Lehnsleute varied greatly, but as the territorial states developed in the late Middle Ages, their fighting duties were supplanted by the creation of mercenary armies and their role in governing estates was increasingly taken over by trained, non-aristocratic administrators. The life of a Lehnsmann in the early 16th century was described by Ulrich von Hutten (1488–1523) in a letter to Willibald Pirckheimer (1470–1530): "The people from whom we earn our livelihood, are very poor farmers, to whom we lease our lands, vineyards, meadows and fields. The return from them is very low for the amount of effort involved, but the farmers look after them and toil away to produce as large a return as possible, because we have to be extremely prudent economically. We also serve a prince, from whom we hope for protection; I do not provide that, so everyone thinks he can get away with anything and everything against me. In addition, for the prince's liegeman, this hope [of protection] is combined every day with danger and fear. For if I put just one foot out of the house, there is the risk that I will come across people with whom the prince has had disputes and feuds, and that they...