In medieval law, compensation or payment demanded to settle a case involving brigandry or robbery, or reparations owed for being part of a brigand band.
From brig (variant of brigand) plus bote, an Old English legal term meaning 'compensation' or 'payment' (related to 'boot'). The word reflects early medieval compensation systems where crimes were settled through payment rather than imprisonment.
Brigbote reveals a wild aspect of early medieval justice: criminals could literally pay their way out of punishment, and the law had specific 'price lists' for different crimes—it was a system where justice had an actual dollar (or shilling) amount.
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