A HISTORY OF CAVALRY. 



[period II. 





These free-born allodial proprietors, and their slaves 

 captured in war and compelled to serve them, were the 

 only two classes among the early Germans ; ^ it being 

 supposed that the so-called nobles or principes were 

 simply the eldest sons and heirs to the estates, which 

 gave them a rank higher than that of their younger 

 brothers. In time some of the slaves became manu- 

 mitted, and portions of land were furnished them by 

 their masters upon certain conditions of service, and the 

 payment of a yearly tribute. Sometimes in conquering 

 a country they left a portion of the land in the hands of 

 the original inhabitants, stipulating that they should 

 perform certain services in return.^ This produced a 

 class not slaves nor yet free, but me"*?ly dependent as 

 vassals to the feudal lord. Their property in the land, 

 subject to the duties to be performed, was fixed and well 

 understood, but was called " Fe-od " or " Fief " (which 

 means transferable property), in contradistinction to 

 AUod or freehold. This was the foundation of the feudal 

 system. 



Soon the principal chief or king became an hereditary- 

 officer, and extensive kingdoms were established which 

 retained much of the ancient Germanic constitution. 

 After the establishment of the monarchical government ^ 

 the royal allotment of conquered land was much greater 

 than that of any of the free-born warriors, and consisted 

 of a large domain where the king held his court, as well 

 as other allods in various parts of the country. These 

 extra grants were made to support him and his court, 

 so as to prevent the necessity of direcc taxation. 



The division of the allodial proprietors in these king- 

 doms was, in imitation of ancient customs, made by tens 

 and hundreds. The smaller division soon disappeared, 

 and the hundreds became cantons, several of which 

 formed a Gau or pro^dnce.* The hundreds, into which 

 England was parcelled about 1,400 years ago by the 

 Anglo-Saxons, a German tribe, are in existence to this 

 day as a recognised territorial division. The judges or 



1 Menzel, Part i. sec. xiv. ~ Boutaric, 103. ^ Menzel, Part i. 

 sec. Ixxiv. ^ Menzel, Part i. sec. Ixxv. 



