A rent or tax paid by a tenant to a landlord, particularly in medieval England; sometimes spelled 'chevage.'
From Old French 'chevage,' from 'chief' meaning 'head,' because it was originally a tax paid per head or person, often called a poll tax or head tax.
Chivage reveals how taxes were once personal—'head' taxes meant the ruler literally counted people and charged them individually, a terrifying form of power that inspired medieval rebellions.
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