Ordinance of Alsnö explained
The Ordinance of Alsnö or Statute of Alsnö was an act by king Magnus Ladulås of Sweden, issued at Alsnö hus in 1279,[1] giving exemption from land taxation to those nobles who committed to produce a heavy cavalryman to the king's service:
This established the frälse, the tax-exempt secular nobility in Sweden. Another, perhaps less pivotal but more widely known, article of this act reformed the peasants' obligation to accommodate traveling nobles, a privilege that was at the time abused to the point of gatecrashing. As Magnus was acclaimed for "protecting the persons and goods of the common people and thus was nicknamed Magnus Ladulås (Magnus Barn-lock)"
See also
Notes and References
- Book: Ljungqvist, Fredrik C. . Quantitative Approaches to Swedish Law . Cambridge Scholars Publisher . 2022 . 978-1527580565. "It is at the same time somewhat surprising that the noble heavy cavalry is not mentioned, or regulated, in the provincial laws originating after the 1280s as it was regulated in The Ordinance of Alsnö from 1279, Diplomatarium Suecanum, no 799 (SDHK no. 1122). The most commonly accepted dating of the Ordinance of Alsnö is 1279, although 1280 has also been suggested by some scholars including Jan Liedgen, "Alsnö stadgas spräk och datering," Rättshistoriska studier 11 (1985), 103-117." pg. 117
