The Word Freelancer Originates From Medieval Mercenary Knights

AncientPages.com - In modern times, the word “freelancer” is a term used to describe anyone who works independently.

Tracing the history of the word has not been easy and there is still some debate where and when the word was first coined.

However, most tend to agree the word freelance came out of the period between the fourteenth and sixteenth when medieval mercenary knights with no particular allegiance would take their lances into battle for the prince or state that paid them the most money. In simple terms, the knights offered their combat skills and weapons to the highest bidder. They operated much like the gunfighters in the American West.

See also: The Use Of Surnames Started During The Middle Ages In England

The term was popularized in 1819 in Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott.

"I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances, and he refused them... thanks to the bustling times, a man of action will always find employment."

- Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott

This denotation is in a way similar to how we view freelancers today, offering goods and services in exchange for compensation. Luckily nowadays the freelancing world is less bloody.

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