Legal Definitions - dominicum

Dominicum

Dominicum is a historical term that refers to three different things:

1. Domain or lordship
2. Land ownership that is kept by a lord for their own use, as opposed to being given to a tenant
3. A church or other religious building according to ecclesiastical law

• The king's dominicum included vast lands and many subjects who owed him loyalty.
• The lord's dominicum was a large estate that he managed and used for his own purposes.
• The bishop's dominicum was the church and its surrounding property, which he governed and maintained.

These examples illustrate the different meanings of dominicum. In the first example, dominicum refers to the king's domain or lordship over his subjects. In the second example, it refers to the land ownership of a lord. In the third example, it refers to a religious building that is governed by a bishop according to ecclesiastical law.