heerlijkheid
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A ''heerlijkheid'' (a
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''
Dominium means "dominion; control; ownership". It is used in some phrases and maxims in legal Latin: *Dominium directum – Direct ownership, that is control of the property, but not necessarily with right to its utilization or alienation. For example, a ...
'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and
judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudication, adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and app ...
unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking
Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
before 1800. It originated as a unit of lordship under the
feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...
system during the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
. The English equivalents are '' manor'', ''
seigniory In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; french: seigneur, lit=lord; la, senior, lit=elder), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. ''Nulle terre ...
'' and ''
lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of econ ...
''.. The translation used by J.L. Price in ''Dutch Society 1588-1713'' is "manor"; by David Nicholas in ''Medieval Flanders'' is "seigneury". The German equivalent is ''
Herrschaft The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...
''. The ''heerlijkheid'' system was the Dutch version of
manorialism Manorialism, also known as the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features included a large, sometimes forti ...
that prevailed in the Low Countries and was the precursor to the modern municipality system in the Netherlands and Flemish Belgium.


Characteristics and types

A typical ''heerlijkheid'' manor consisted of a village and the surrounding lands extending out for a kilometre or so. Taking 18th-century
Wassenaar Wassenaar (; population: in ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and Dorp (town), town located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands. An affluent suburb of The ...
as an example of a large ''hoge heerlijkheid'', it was 3,612
morgen A morgen was a unit of measurement of land area in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania and the Dutch colonies, including South Africa and Taiwan. The size of a morgen varies from . It was also used in Old Prussia, in the Balkans, Norw ...
s in size and had 297 houses. Nearby
Voorschoten Voorschoten () is a village and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a smaller town in the Randstad, enclosed by the cities of Leiden, Wassenaar and The Hague. The municipality covers an area of of whi ...
was 1,538 morgens in size and had 201 houses.
Nootdorp Nootdorp () is a small town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is bordered by Zoetermeer to the north, by The Hague (specifically Leidschenveen-Ypenburg) to the west, by Delfgauw to the south and by Pijnacker to the east. Nootdorp was a ...
was an ''ambachtsheerlijkheid'' of 196 morgens and 58 houses.Heerlijkheden van Holland
(in Dutch only) There were 517 ''heerlijkheden'' in the province of Holland in the 18th century. All fell into the last three categories in the list below (except for a few for which this information is unknown). Not all ''heerlijkheden'' were the same. They differed in size and composition. Also, a ''heerlijkheid'' should not be confused with a larger territory, like a
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
(''graafschap'') or
viscounty A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
(''burggraafschap''), nor with administrative regions on par with an English
shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...
, Dutch ''gouw'', German '' Gau'', or Roman or Carolingian ''
pagus In ancient Rome, the Latin word (plural ) was an administrative term designating a rural subdivision of a tribal territory, which included individual farms, villages (), and strongholds () serving as refuges, as well as an early medieval geogra ...
''. A Flemish
castellany A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant of ...
(''kasselrij'' or ''burggraafschap'') was larger and different from a ''heerlijkheid'', but they were similar in some ways. pp. 47, 50, 88, 106, 159, 341 There were different kinds of ''heerlijkheid'': * ''vrijheerlijkheid'' — an allod or allodium. These ''heerlijkheden'' were found usually at the edges of a county and were called 'free' (''vrij'') because they were
allodial Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property (land, buildings, and fixtures) that is independent of any superior landlord. Allodial title is related to the concept of land held "in allodium", or land ownership by occupancy and defens ...
instead of a
fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...
held by an overlord.pp. 70-102 * ''erfheerlijkheid'' — a
feudal barony A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...
. * ''hoge heerlijkheid'' — a great barony or ‘
honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of socia ...
’, either a
fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...
or
allodium In the law of the Middle Ages and early Modern Period and especially within the Holy Roman Empire, an allod ( Old Low Franconian ''allōd'' ‘fully owned estate’, from ''all'' ‘full, entire’ and ''ōd'' ‘estate’, Medieval Latin ''allodiu ...
. In these large lordships, the lord had jurisdiction to appoint a bailiff (''baljuw'') instead of just a reeve (''
schout In Dutch-speaking areas, a ''schout'' was a local official appointed to carry out administrative, law enforcement and prosecutorial tasks. The office was abolished with the introduction of administrative reforms during the Napoleonic period. Fun ...
''), and to administer capital punishment. It was possible for a ''heerlijkheid'' to be both prescriptive (''vrij'') and large (''hoge''). The largest were actually mini-counties within the county. * ''ambacht'' or ''ambachtsheerlijkheid'' — a serjeanty, often located inland rather than on the borders. Serjeanties sometimes consisted of nothing more than a castle and a few hectares of land, although most were larger than this. The serjeant did not have the power of 'pit and gallows', i.e., the power to impose the death penalty. * ''schoutsambt'' — a reeveland, the territory under the charge of a reeve (''
schout In Dutch-speaking areas, a ''schout'' was a local official appointed to carry out administrative, law enforcement and prosecutorial tasks. The office was abolished with the introduction of administrative reforms during the Napoleonic period. Fun ...
''), thus equivalent to the jurisdiction of a ''heerlijkheid''


Lord of the manor (''heer'')

The central figure was the lord of the ''heerlijkheid'' and effectively its owner—the manorial lord or
lady The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...
. In Dutch, the lord was called ''heer'' and the lady ''vrouw(e)''. The lord was also referred to by the Latin word ''
dominus Dominus or domini may refer to: * Dominus (title), a title of sovereignty, clergy and other uses Art, entertainment, and media * Dominus (band), a Danish death metal band * Dominus (DC Comics), an alien character in DC Comics * Dominus (Mar ...
''. A rarer English alternative is ''
seigneur ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...
''. pp. 75-77, 212, 222, 429, 470-472 There were different kinds of lord and lady: * ''vrijheer'' and ''vrijvrouwe'' (literally, 'free lord' and 'free lady') — allodial lord or allodiary, tenant of an allodial lordship. * ''erfheer'' and ''erfvrouwe'' (literally, 'hereditary lord' and 'hereditary lady') — feudal baron or mesne lord, tenant of a fiefdom. * ''baanderheer'' (literally, ‘
knight banneret A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a medieval knight ("a commoner of rank") who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering standard or the penn ...
’) — tenant by
knight-service Knight-service was a form of feudal land tenure under which a knight held a fief or estate of land termed a knight's fee (''fee'' being synonymous with ''fief'') from an overlord conditional on him as tenant performing military service for his ov ...
; some lords used this title when their noble line was ancient and therefore superior to other nobles * ''ambachtsheer'' — tenant by serjeanty (''ambacht'' or ''ambachtsheerlijkheid''). Under the feudal system, a manorial lord typically was himself the
vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...
of a higher-ranking
tenant-in-chief In medieval and early modern Europe, the term ''tenant-in-chief'' (or ''vassal-in-chief'') denoted a person who held his lands under various forms of feudal land tenure directly from the king or territorial prince to whom he did homage, as op ...
, usually a highborn noble, who was in turn the crown vassal of the
king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
or
emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
. However, sometimes there was no
mesne Mesne (an Anglo-French legal form of the O. Fr. ''meien'', mod. ''moyen'', mean, Med. Lat. ''medianus'', in the middle, cf. English ''mean''), middle or intermediate, an adjective used in several legal phrases. * A mesne lord is a landlord who has ...
tenancy (''tussenliggende heerschappij''), as was the case with knight's fees held '' in capite'' (''rijksonmiddellijke heerlijkheid''). The ''heerlijkheid'' was ruled directly by a count (''graaf''), a viscount (''burggraaf'') or a baron (''baron''). Also, it was not uncommon for the lord to be ecclesiastical, e.g. a prince-bishop (''prins-bisschop'') or
prince-abbot A prince-abbot (german: Fürstabt) is a title for a cleric who is a Prince of the Church (like a Prince-bishop), in the sense of an ''ex officio'' temporal lord of a feudal entity, usually a State of the Holy Roman Empire. The territory ruled ...
(''vorst-abt''). Originally, ''heerlijkheden'' were held exclusively by the nobility. However, starting around the 16th century, lordship over a ''heerlijkheid'' was not synonymous with nobility. A ''heerlijkheid'' could be bought and sold. Many ended up in the hands of wealthy merchants and a political class known as the
regents A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
. In addition, many were bought by
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...
s (
burgh A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...
s). In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, it was not unusual for a borough to purchase the ''heerlijkheden'' around it in order to gain control and ownership of the surrounding land and the resulting economic advantages. Boroughs were themselves not part of the manorial system: the countryside and villages were governed by lords, whereas boroughs were self-governing.


Feudal origins

The ''heerlijkheden'' came into being as a result of the feudal system, in particular the sovereign's delegated judicial prerogative. The crown, as lord paramount, granted the right to govern and to exercise judicial authority to a crown vassal, often a confidante or as a reward for military service or political support. The crown vassal—e.g. a
count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
(''graaf'') or
duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
(''hertog'')—thus exercised all or part of the sovereign's royal authority. In turn the crown vassal granted rights to the mesne lords of the ''heerlijkheden''. Because a
fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...
(''leen'') originated out of a bond between vassal and lord for military service, vassalage (Dutch '' manschap'') was personal not heritable. With the advent of professional armies, the vassalage bond fell into disuse or was replaced by
scutage Scutage is a medieval English tax levied on holders of a knight's fee under the feudal land tenure of knight-service. Under feudalism the king, through his vassals, provided land to knights for their support. The knights owed the king military s ...
; however, vassalage remained personal. One of the consequences of this was that, on the death of the vassal (''leenman'' or ''vazal''), the fief
escheat Escheat is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to a ...
ed to the lord (''leenheer''). The vassal's heir was able to retain the ''heerlijkheid'' through the
commendation ceremony A commendation ceremony (''commendatio'') is a formal ceremony that evolved during the Early Medieval period to create a bond between a lord and his fighting man, called his vassal. The first recorded ceremony of ''commendatio'' was in 7th centur ...
(''leenhulde''), the process of paying homage and swearing fealty officiated at the head
manor court The manorial courts were the lowest courts of law in England during the feudal period. They had a civil jurisdiction limited both in subject matter and geography. They dealt with matters over which the lord of the manor had jurisdiction, primaril ...
(''souveraine leenhof'' or ''leenkammer''). The new vassal made a symbolic payment (''leenverhef'') to his lord. The same ceremony was held when a ''heerlijkheid'' manor was sold. If there was no direct descendant, other blood relatives could exercise their right of ''laudatio parentum'' (Du ''naderschap''), which grants them a
right of first refusal Right of first refusal (ROFR or RFR) is a contractual right that gives its holder the option to enter a business transaction with the owner of something, according to specified terms, before the owner is entitled to enter into that transactio ...
and explains how ''heerlijkheden'' were able to be kept in the same families for centuries.


Manorial rights

The tenancy of a ''heerlijkheid'' is not to be confused with land ownership. It was an
estate in land An estate in land is, in the law of England and Wales, an interest in real property that is or may become possessory. It is a type of personal property and encompasses land ownership, rental and other arrangements that give people the right to ...
, not land ''per se''. Although lords of the manor generally owned property within a ''heerlijkheid'' (often substantial amounts), it was possible for a lord not to own any property at all within his own ''heerlijkheid''. Also, when agricultural land was held by a lord in the Low Countries, the amount held was smaller in comparison to other countries. pp. 174, 211, 212 Lordship conferred a set of manorial rights. The word ''heerlijkheid'' denotes an estate in which these limited rights were held and could be exercised. The rights exercised varied widely, and were more extensive and survived longer in the eastern provinces. A manorial lord was able to function as a minor potentate within "his" ''heerlijkheid''. However, his manorial rights were limited and subject to numerous restrictions. The lord was required to conduct himself in accordance with local customary law. * Appointments: One of the most important manorial rights was the right to appoint bailiffs, reeves, aldermen, magistrates, schoolmasters, dike and polder officials, and so on. A fee was paid by the recipients of these appointments. In particular, the lord was entitled to make the important appointment of the ''
schout In Dutch-speaking areas, a ''schout'' was a local official appointed to carry out administrative, law enforcement and prosecutorial tasks. The office was abolished with the introduction of administrative reforms during the Napoleonic period. Fun ...
'' 'reeve'. The reeve was charged with local administrative, law enforcement, and prosecutorial duties. The lord's right to appoint this official was significant because it entailed the associated right to receive the profits from
amercement An amercement is a financial penalty in English law, common during the Middle Ages, imposed either by the court or by peers. The noun "amercement" lately derives from the verb to amerce, thus: the king amerces his subject, who offended some law. T ...
s collected by the reeve from sentences and fines for minor and mid-level offences. (Higher fines were paid to officials appointed by a count or duke, i.e. the sheriff, called variously ''hoofdschout'', ''hoofdmeier'', ''drossaard'' or ''amman''). The lord of the manor was entitled to act as reeve himself, but most lords delegated this duty by appointing someone else to the office. * Advowson: A lord might have a right to make
advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, ...
s, be they collative (''collatie''), presentative (''gezag'') or donative (''agrement'') when it comes to instituting a parish priest or minister. As early as the high Middle Ages there were already disputes with ecclesiastical authorities over the
usurpation A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it as ...
of this right. After the
Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, the involvement of a lord in a minister's institution might similarly result in tension between the lord and his vassals, particularly in places where the lord was of a different faith than most of his fellow parishioners. * Manor house: Most ''heerlijkheden'' had a
manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
that served as the ''caput'', or 'capital messuage', of the lord, though not necessarily his permanent residence if he held multiple manors. There were sometimes grand homes with estates or even castles. (Some of these grand homes and castles still exist.) * Church: If a parochial church had been founded by a previous lord, the lord was considered to have his own church and enjoy the rights that went with that. * Coat of arms: A lord had his own
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
, which was displayed in places like church pews and windows and carriages. Many of these became municipal coats of arms.


Income from a heerlijkheid

A lord was entitled to receive feudal incidents in the form of rents, levies, and other payments from various financial and property rights associated with a ''heerlijkheid'': * Real burdens (''onroerende belastingen''): Any bonded or unfree feuar (''cijnsplichtige'') of the manor's dependent holdings was required to pay a yearly feu-duty (''cijns'' or ''cijnsgeld''), which is comparable to the payment of property taxes today. The amount of the ''cijns'' was proportional to the size of the burdened land. Since the amount of the ''cijns'' was not tied to inflation, it remained negligible during most of this period. * Tenurial rents (''pachtgelden''): The largest revenue source for the lord of the manor was usually the leasehold rents from
tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a person (farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management, ...
s working free peasant land. * Entry fine (''pontpenning'' or ''werfschilling''): The lord of the manor was entitled to levy a fee of around 5% of the sales price when holdings or tenancies were conveyed. *
Relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
(''keurmede''): Usually the lord was entitled to levy a relief duty or
heriot Heriot, from Old English ''heregeat'' ("war-gear"), was originally a death-duty in late Anglo-Saxon England, which required that at death, a nobleman provided to his king a given set of military equipment, often including horses, swords, shields ...
which was sometimes referred to in Dutch as the ''recht van de dode hand'', or 'dead hand right'. This was an inheritance tax on a deceased tenant's estate that granted the privilege to an heir to succeed to the deceased's estate. The amount was usually in the order of 5% of the value of the real property. Sometimes the lord also had the right to take the deceased's best chattel (''beste kateil/katell''). Depending on the region, this was also referred to as the 'best beast' (''beste hoofd''), referring to the best animal in the herd, or the 'high chair' (''hoogstoel''), meaning the nicest piece of household furniture. Often there was also a special relief for the estate of a 'foreigner' (''inwijkeling''), that is, someone not born in the ''heerlijkheid'', and illegitimate children. * Tolls (''tolgelden''): Tolls were charged to cross the borders of most ''heerlijkheden''. This was a kind of road toll (''wegentol''), but it also took the form of a charge on the transport of specific commodities (e.g. salt) or people. * Astrictions (''banrechten''): Tenants were required to make use of the infrastructure (mill, smith, oven, etc.) that was operated by the lord of the manor more or less as a business. A typical example of these astrictions was
thirlage Thirlage was a feudal servitude (or astriction) under Scots law restricting manorial tenants in the milling of their grain for personal or other uses. Vassals in a feudal barony were thirled to their local mill owned by the feudal superior. Peo ...
(''banmolen''): grain could only be ground at the lord's water mill or windmill. A toll, known as multure, for grinding corn at the manorial mill was paid to the lord (or to the miller who leased the mill from the lord). * Royal privileges (''vorstelijke rechten''): Royal privileges included game rights, hunting rights,
wind rights Wind rights are rights relating to windmills, wind turbines and wind power. Historically in Continental Europe wind rights were manorial rights and obligations relating to the operation and profitability of windmills. In modern times, as wind bec ...
(''windrecht''), piscary (''visrecht''), and
market right A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
s (''marktrecht''). These traditional rights were usually granted in fief to a vassal lord, who continued to maintain them. *
Ecclesiastical privileges In the canon law of the Catholic Church, ecclesiastical privileges are the privileges enjoyed by the clergy. Their scope varied over time.
(''kerkelijke rechten''): In some ''heerlijkheden'' certain privileges that were in principle held by the church were absorbed by the ''heerlijkheid''.
Tithes A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...
might accrue to the feudal estate. * Fines (described in the previous part in the section on the appointment of the ''schout'') *
Quitrent Quit rent, quit-rent, or quitrent is a tax or land tax imposed on occupants of freehold or leased land in lieu of services to a higher landowning authority, usually a government or its assigns. Under feudal law, the payment of quit rent (Latin '' ...
(''dienstgeld''): Released a tenant from services due by custom to his lord. * Appointment fee (referred to by Schama as the ''leenrecht''): "The perquisite paid on appointment to office." * Marriage and death duties: Marriage required the payment of a fee, the consent of the lord,
merchet Merchet (also: -ett, -ete, -eit, -eat, -iett, -i(e)te, -iatte, mershet(e), marchet, -eit, market) () was a fine paid on a marriage during the Middle Ages in England. The word derives from the plural form of daughter, ''merched'', in old Welsh. Me ...
, etc. In some places in later years the lord would receive gifts on St. Walpurga's Day instead. On death a tax also had to be paid.


Heerlijkheden and the nobility

Originally ''heerlijkheden'' were in the hands of the
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
. Much of the wealth of a noble family came from their ownership. Many members of the nobility were heavily dependent on this source of power, income and status. Because the surnames of noble families were often derived from a ''heerlijkheid'' (e.g. "van Wassenaer"), it was important for the prestige of the family to maintain ownership over it. However, the economic benefits of a heerlijkheid were not always certain, finances were not always well arranged, and some nobles were poor. In the province of
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
, possession of a ''heerlijkheid'' was a prerequisite for admission to the ''ridderschap'' (literally, the "knighthood"), the college of nobles that represented rural areas in the States of Holland. A seat in the ''ridderschap'' provided access to various financially interesting honorary positions and offices. It was not unusual for a noble to amass a number of ''heerlijkheden''.
King Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beatr ...
is a modern-day example of a nobleman who holds the titles to many ''heerlijkheden''. In addition to his primary titles, he is the Erf- en Vrijheer van Ameland, Heer van Borculo, Bredevoort, Lichtenvoorde, Het Loo, Geertruidenberg, Clundert, Zevenbergen, Hooge en Lage Zwaluwe, Naaldwijk, Polanen, Sint-Maartensdijk, Soest, Baarn, Ter Eem, Willemstad, Steenbergen, Montfort, Sankt Vith, Burgenbach, Daasburg, Niervaart, Turnhout en Besançon. Starting around 1500, nobles began selling the rights to ''heerlijkheden'' to non-nobles; however, losing a ''heerlijkheid'' did not result in loss of noble status. The
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
were recognised by all as having a special status not attached to wealth or ownership of a ''heerlijkheid''.


Heerlijkheden and the rise of a new nobility

In the southern provinces (modern-day
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
) the financial character of a ''heerlijkheid'' was accentuated by the Royal Edict of 8 May 1664. From then on, a noble title was granted only if the following minimum payment was obtained from the income of the feudal estate. * for a
barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
(''baronie''): 6,000 guilders; * for a
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
(''graafschap'') or marquisate (''markizaat''): 12,000 guilders; * for a
duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a Middle Ages, medieval country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once exis ...
(''hertogdom'') or principality (''prinsdom''): 24,000 guilders. In the southern provinces, this edict ensured the financial stability of the most prominent ''heerlijkheden'' and resulted in the rise of a new nobility based on wealth. Starting around the 16th century, lordship over a ''heerlijkheid'' was not synonymous with nobility. A ''heerlijkheid'' could be bought and sold. Many ended up in the hands of wealthy merchants and a small and exclusive political class known as the
regents A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
. In all the provinces the military obligations associated with a fief gradually died out so that by the 16th and 17th centuries the ''heerlijkheid'' was increasingly seen by non-nobles as a status symbol. Successful merchants and regents from the large towns saw the ''heerlijkheid'' as a country residence and a means of giving the appearance of noble status. It often came with large tracts of land and a castle or manor house. In noble fashion, they then added the name of their ''heerlijkheid'' to their own surname, resulting in surnames like Deutz van Assendelft, Six van Oterleek, Pompe van Meerdervoort and Beelaerts van Blokland). (The word " van" in the surname meant "of". However, very few Dutch surnames with "van" have their origins in the ownership of a ''heerlijkheid''.) They became what J.L. Price refers to as a "quasi-nobility". A ''heerlijkheid'' was also a source of income and an investment, but they were usually acquired for other reasons. In the Netherlands, acquiring the rights to ''heerlijkheden'' did not confer noble status. The regent families who purchased ''heerlijkheden'' were not a true nobility, but by the early 19th century the ranks of the nobility had become so depleted that the Dutch king elevated certain members of the former regent class to noble status.)


Abolition

In the southern provinces (modern-day
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
) ''heerlijkheden'' and the associated rights were abolished after the French invasion of 1795. In the northern provinces (modern-day
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
) they were declared abolished around the same time as part of the inauguration of the
Batavian Republic The Batavian Republic ( nl, Bataafse Republiek; french: République Batave) was the successor state to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on 19 January 1795 and ended on 5 June 1806, with the accession of Louis Bona ...
. This was formalised in the 1798 Batavian Constitution (Bataafsche Staatsregeling). A distinction was made between the feudal rights of appointment and patronage, which were completely abolished, and the income-related rights, which were more complicated. Some of these were feudal in nature and abolished. Others were similar to contractual or property rights and therefore their loss was compensable. Lordly claims for reparations flooded in. Some ''heerlijkheid'' rights were maintained or later restored as property rights and still exist today. The overwhelming majority of the remaining rights disappeared in Belgium on the introduction of the 1830 constitution and in the Netherlands with the 1848 constitutional amendments. Most of the administrative functions of a ''heerlijkheid'' were transferred to the
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
and fell under the new Municipality Act (''Gemeentewet''). Responsibility for the manor courts and judicial system were taken over by the national government. After this, the use of the title "Lord of..." is based on the ownership of the remaining non-abolished rights. To this day there are people in the Netherlands who use the title "Lord of...". Unlike in the U.K., there is no trade today in 'lord of the manor' titles.


Heerlijkheid manors

What remains of the ''heerlijkheid'' system are many of the manors and
castles A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified ...
. Most of them are now parts of estates, museums, parks, hotels, etc. Since the last ''heerlijkheid'' was seen over 200 years ago, many of the manor houses and castles have been rebuilt, or have been fully or partially demolished. A sign erected at the remaining parts of the
Slot Heemstede Heemstede Castle (Dutch: ''Slot Heemstede'') is the site of the old castle of Heemstede. The property is situated at the site of the former castle 'Heerlijkheid Heemstede', or 'Huis te Heemstede', at a strategic position on mouth of the Spaarne ...
(now in a park) describes what happened to this particular manor. The history and fate of this manor are typical:


See also

*
Herrschaft The German term ''Herrschaft'' (plural: ''Herrschaften'') covers a broad semantic field and only the context will tell whether it means, "rule", "power", "dominion", "authority", "territory" or "lordship". In its most abstract sense, it refers ...
*
Particuliere landerij The ''particuliere landerijen'' or ''particuliere landen'' ( Dutch for 'private domains'; singular ''particuliere landerij'' or ''particuliere land''), also called ''tanah partikelir'' in Indonesian, were landed domains in a feudal system of la ...
, the 17th-century system of feudal landownership in the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
(now
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
)


Notes


External links


Heerlijkheden van Holland
Site with lists and detailed information about ''heerlijkheden'' in 18th-century Holland and their owners.
Heraldry of the World: Heerlijkheidswapens
(wiki) {{Use dmy dates, date=August 2019 Types of administrative division Dutch words and phrases Former subdivisions of Belgium German feudalism Former subdivisions of the Netherlands Property law