ligeance
(ˈlaɪdʒəns, ˈliːdʒəns)
Forms: 4 legg(e)aunce, lygeaunce, ligence, lygiauns, liegance, 4–5 ligeaunce, leg(e)aunce, lygaunce, 4–6 liegeaunce, 4–7 lege-, legiance, ligance, 5 legiaunce, legauns, legence, liegiance, lyeg(e)aunce, lygeance, lygeauns, 6 legyaunce, 6–7 liegeance, 7–8 leigeance, ligiance, 5–9 ligeance.
[a. OF. ligeance, legiance, etc. (latinized ligentia, ligantia, legiancia), f. lige liege: see -ance. Cf. allegiance.]
1. The obligation of a liege man to his liege lord; the duty of fidelity of a subject to his sovereign or government; = allegiance 2. Obs. exc. arch.
| 1377 Pol. Poems (Rolls) I. 217 And in his leggaunce worthily He abod mony a bitter brayd. c 1382 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 503 Þat..alle þo ordiris of freris, in peyne of lesynge of alle hor legeaunce, telle þo kynge..what is þis sacrament. c 1400 Sowdone Bab. 105 Comaundinge hem vppon legeaunce To come in al hast. 1471 Arriv. Edw. IV (Camden) 39 [They] became his true liegemen, with as streight promyse of trew legiaunce as cowthe be devised. 1489 Plumpton Corr. (Camden) p. xcviii, Wee understand..your true mind & faithful liegiance towards us. c 1500 Melusine lvii. 338 ‘By god’, said geffray, ‘gramercy, Fayre lordes, and I am redy to receyue you to your lygeauns.’ And þenne they dyde to hym hommage. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie ii. xi. (Arb.) 112 She enuirons her people round, Retaining them by oth and liegeance. a 1641 Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 93 They owe him no leigance, nor obedience. 1660 R. Coke Justice Vind. 49 How vile would this man make Majesty! how light the ligeance which is due not only by nature, but by oath from all subjects to their rightful Soveraigns? a 1670 Hacket Abp. Williams ii. (1692) 191 None sate there before he had taken an oath to bear true ligance to him and his heirs, and to defend his Majesty against all perils. 1689 Consid. conc. Succession & Alleg. 19 Allegiance or Ligeance with respect to the King (for anciently even Inferiour Lords had their Liege-men) imports..That [etc.]. 1839–44 Tupper Proverb. Philos. (1852) 134 Ligeance we swear to our God, and ligeance well we have kept. |
| occas. in pl. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxii. 258 The frenche kynge..shall rendre and delyuer to the..kynge of Englande..the honours, regalities, obeisaunces, homages, liegeaunces..that apperteyneth..to the crowne of Fraunce. 1658 Cleveland Rustick Rampant Wks. (1687) 471 By the Faith and Liegances which to us ye owe. |
† b. Phr.
to do or make (one's) ligeance.
Obs.| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 55 Þat he and his successoures and men of Scotlond schulde doo homage legeaunce and feaute to the kynges of Engelond. 1395 Purvey Remonstr. (1851) 80 Agens here ligeaunce and solempne ooth maad to king Jon. c 1440 Partonope 2680 The king of fraunce To whom he had made his lyegeaunce. c 1450 Lonelich Grail xlvi. 446 Therto ben ȝe bownden Echon be the legaunce ȝe han me don. 1651 G. W. tr. Cowel's Inst. 23 The next capitall Lord to whom her Ancestors had done legiance. |
2. The sway or jurisdiction of a sovereign over his subjects or ‘lieges’; the territories subject to a sovereign. Now only in legal use.
| c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1270 We..buþ Charlis men þe Emperere & vnder his liegeaunce. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 176 What is a king in his ligance, Wher that ther is no lawe in londe? 1447 Act 25 Hen. VI in Bolton Stat. Irel. (1621) 9 Any such Irish enemies so received to the legeance of our Souveraigne Lord. 1609 Ld.-Chanc. Ellesmere Sp. on Post-nati 5 Hee was borne..within the ligeance of his said Maiestie. 1628 Coke On Litt. 129 He may be born out of the realm of England yet within the liegeance. 1652 Needham tr. Selden's Mare Cl. Ep. Ded., The Seas of Engl. were ever under the Legiance of our Kings. 1765 Blackstone Comm. I. 366 Such as are born within the dominions of the crown of England, that is, within the ligeance, or as it is generally called, the allegiance of the king. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) III. 341 All persons born out of the ligeance of the Crown of England. 1832 Austin Jurispr. (1879) II. xxxi. 570 An alien enemy living within the ligeance of our king. |