Legal Definitions - per quae servitia

PER QUAE SERVITIA

Per quae servitia (pronounced puh kwee sur-vish-uh) is a Latin term that means "by which services." It refers to a legal action that allowed the person who received a grant of land to force the tenants of the person who granted the land to become their tenants instead. This action was used in the past but is no longer used today.

An example of per quae servitia would be if a lord granted a piece of land to a knight, and the knight wanted the tenants who lived on the land to become his tenants instead of the lord's tenants. The knight could use per quae servitia to force the tenants to become his tenants.

Another example would be if a king granted a piece of land to a nobleman, and the nobleman wanted the tenants who lived on the land to become his tenants instead of the king's tenants. The nobleman could use per quae servitia to force the tenants to become his tenants.

These examples illustrate how per quae servitia was used in the past to transfer tenants from one landlord to another.