rätlingar
Rätlingar is a historical term used in Swedish and broader Nordic historiography to denote a class of landholding peasants with distinct legal status and obligations. The exact definition and scope of the group varied by region and period, and there is no universally agreed-upon description. In some sources, rätlingar are described as freeholders who owned their farms and possessed certain local rights, while in others the term appears in legal and tax records with different implications for status and duties.
Etymology and language notes are complex and debated. The word is typically analyzed as a suffix-based formation
Social position and duties. Rätlingar are generally regarded as distinct from the noble estate (frälse) and
Historical development. The prominence of rätlingar fluctuated from late medieval to early modern periods, and the