scutage
/ˈskjuːtɪdʒ/
noun
- A payment made in medieval times by a knight or landholder to avoid military service, or a tax levied for that purpose.
- The king raised scutage to fund his war in France.
- In feudal England, lords could pay scutage instead of fighting in the king's army.
- Many knights preferred to pay scutage rather than leave their lands unprotected.