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Sigena (emphasize the first syllable) was a serf, and she was a maid. Serf ment, that she was not allowed to leave the estade of her lord, she wasn't allowed to move or to marry without his allowance. She had to put her labour to her lord's disposal and she had to give him taxes from her earnings as agricultural crop, animals or money. But it also ment, that her children would had been unfree, even if she had married a free man. Richolf was probably a commander of a castle or an administrater of a king's court (ger. "Königshof"). In the year 1050 King Henry III stayed in a kings court in Nuremberg. Richolf went to him and held Sigena on his hand. Historians think that Richolf wanted to marry the serf Sigena and of course wanted to have free born children. The king hit Sigena a coin out of her hand. This so named treasure throw (germ. "Schatzwurf") is one of the many gestures of ancien times that were valid instead of contracts. But it also has been confirmed as well in a document, the Sigena document of July 16th 1050. More information about the content of the document and how it looked like soon!
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