The act of setting someone free from slavery or servitude, or granting them the rights of citizenship or voting.
From Old French 'affranchir' combining 'a-' (to) and 'franc' (free). This legal term emerged in medieval times to describe the formal process of liberating serfs or enslaved people, particularly in feudal systems.
Medieval cities used affranchisement as an economic tool—they'd free serfs to attract workers to growing towns, which is why you see sudden population booms in medieval records around the time franchises were granted.
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