Legal Definitions - white rent

Definition: White rent is a type of feudal rent that was paid in silver instead of other forms of payment such as work, grain, or lower value currency. It is the opposite of black rent.

• A lord may require his tenant to pay white rent of 10 silver coins per year.
• White rent was often used in medieval Europe as a way for lords to collect money from their tenants.

These examples illustrate how white rent was a common form of payment in feudal societies. It was often used as a way for lords to collect money from their tenants, and was considered a more valuable form of payment than other options such as work or grain.