A medieval English tax levied on land values and productive capacity, particularly related to the carucate or plowland, used to fund military campaigns and royal expenses.
From Medieval Latin 'carucagium,' derived from 'caruca' (carucate or plowland). Carucage emerged in 12th-13th century England as a more sophisticated tax system replacing earlier feudal levies, based on land productivity rather than simple headcounts.
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