Legal Definitions - Quia Emptores

Quia Emptores is a Latin term that means "since purchasers". It refers to a statute that was enacted in 1290 in England. The purpose of this statute was to give fee-simple tenants the power to sell their land and bind the transferee to perform the same services for the lord as the transferor had been obliged to perform.

For example, if a tenant sold their land to someone else, the new owner would be required to perform the same duties and services for the lord as the previous owner. This helped to eliminate multiple layers of fealty and concentrate feudal lordships in the Crown.

The Quia Emptores statute was important because it prevented the growth of subinfeudation, which was a practice where tenants would divide their land and create new tenancies. This made it difficult for lords to collect their dues and services from their tenants.