Legal Dictionary of Pakistan

scutage

n. [fr. Latin scutum "a shield"] Hist. 1. A monetary payment levied by the king on barons as a substitute for some or all of the knights to be supplied to the king by each baron. ( This payment seems to date from the 12th century, Henry II (1154-1189) having levied five scutages in the first 11 years of his reign. 2. A fee paid by a tenant-in-chief by knight-service in lieu of serving in a war. 3. A tax on a knight's estate to help furnish the army. - Also termed escuage.