Maltôte

In medieval French law, a maltôte is an extraordinary tax that applied to everyday consumer goods (wine, beer, wax ...), raised to cope with unusual expenses. In general, it was to finance the cost of wars or fortification works.

A coin of Philip IV the Fair

Origin

The term "malatolta" was used for it from the 10th century. The first mention of the term "maltôte" seems to be in the registre des olim in 1273 [1]

Philip the Fair made himself unpopular by raising maltôte in 1292 to finance the Flanders War: the tax of the denier per pound was payable by both the seller and the purchaser. Because of its unpopular character it was quickly named by the people by the pejorative name of "maltôte". The maltöte was, indeed, frequently badly perceived by the populations who were put at contribution for purposes sometimes very far from their daily concerns. The war in Flanders was thus at the origin of a popular revolt in Rouen, which aimed to oppose the maltôte.[1][2]

By extension, the word "maltôte" quickly was used to mean any extraordinary taxes. The use of maltôtes lasted until the eighteenth century.

Etymology
  • "Maltôte" could come from:[3]
    1. "mala tolta", from Latin malus ("bad") and tollere ("to take away, take, despoil)": "bad tax".
    2. "mal toste", which would mean "bad greeting", in the sense of "I do not give you hello".

The French word "maltôtiers" has been applied to officers or other persons engaged in the collection of taxes, and by extension, to those who demand rights which are not due.

See also

References
  1. Edgard Boutaric, La France sous Philippe le Bel, Plon, 1861
  2. Yves Tissier, vocabulaire de l'histoire, Vuibert, 2008
  3. Gabriel Feydel, Remarques morales, philosophiques et grammaticales, sur le Dictionnaire de l'Académie françoise, A. A. Renouard, 1807 - 420 pages
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