Frankalmoin or
frankalmoigne was one of the
feudal land tenures in
feudal England. Its literal meaning is "free pity/mercy", from Norman French
fraunch aumoyne, “free
alms”, from
Late Latin eleemosyna, from Greek
ἐλεημοσύνη ("eleēmosynē"), "pity, alms", from
ἐλεήμων ("eleēmōn") "merciful", from
ἔλεος ("eleos"), "pity". By it an ecclesiastical body held land free of military service such as
knight service or other secular or religious service, but sometimes in return for the religious service of saying prayers and masses for the soul of the grantor. Not only was secular service not due but in the 12th and 13th centuries jurisdiction over land so held belonged to the ecclesiastical courts, and was thus immune from royal jurisdiction.