Quia emptores

“Quia emptores” is a Latin term that means “because the buyers” in English. It refers to a legal principle that was established in medieval England with the Statute of Quia Emptores in 1290. The statute aimed to prohibit subinfeudation, which was a practice where a tenant granted part of their land to another person in exchange for services or rent, thereby creating a feudal relationship.

Instead, the statute allowed tenants to sell or transfer their land freely without creating new feudal relationships. These measures helped to stabilize land ownership and reduce the fragmentation of estates in medieval England.