A Little-Known Medieval Tax, the brennerie. A Linguistic and Historical Analysis

Historians have shown a real interest in seigneurial taxes, but only few studies have been devoted to the formation of the words that compose this field. Dealing with one of them in particular, the brennerie, this article proposes a review of the works carried out on the subject, not satisfactory since they mix up different things. It then proposes to go back to the occurrences of this word in different kinds of sources and to examine them. The analysis then deals with the construction of the word and other comparable or synonymous. Cross-examination of these data reveals a chronological evolution showing how the name of a real tax turned into a synonym of a seigneurial right.