Legal Definitions - colibertus

Definition: Colibertus (kol-i-bər-təs) is a term from Law Latin that refers to a serf who has been nominally freed but is still subject to certain servile conditions. They occupy a position in society between servile and free tenants.

Example: A colibertus would be a serf who has been granted some freedom but is still required to provide certain services to their lord, such as working on the lord's land for a specified number of days each year.

Explanation: The example illustrates the definition of colibertus because it shows that although the serf has been granted some freedom, they are still required to provide certain services to their lord. This means that they are not completely free and still occupy a position between servile and free tenants.

Related term: Socage is a type of lay tenure in which a tenant held lands in exchange for providing the lord husbandry-related service. Free socage is socage in which the services were both certain and honorable, while villein socage is socage in which the services, though certain, were of a baser nature than those provided under free socage.