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Ransom (from Old Fr.: ransoun) is the practice of releasing prisoners taken in battle in exchange for money. During pre-history and ancient times when conflict was conducted between individuals or relatively small groups, the taking of prisoners was rare. As conflict grew and developed into warfare, victory in a battle usually resulted in the slaughter of opponents. By the time that the Greeks and Romans achieved military ascendancy in the Mediterranean, battlefield captives were usually enslaved, although massacres still occurred. Although during the period of internecine Greek wars the ransoming of prisoners was not uncommon, it was during the Middle Ages that this practice became significant.

The age of knighthood and the importance of key family members to a noble dynasty provided the circumstances for the re-establishment of ransoming as a feature of European warfare. This process was applied only to knights; the ordinary foot soldier, archer, or pikeman could still expect death or slavery following capture. The ransom itself was demanded, owed, and collected by individuals involved in the defeat and capture of an enemy and bypassed the state entirely. This said, in 1194 England, in the shape of Prince John, paid 100, 000 marks for the release of Richard ‘the Lionheart’. Richard had been returning from the Crusades in the Holy Land when he was captured by the Duke of Austria and handed to the Emperor Henry VI. He was held in Germany between December 1192 and February 1194, and John levied taxes on revenue at a staggering 25 per cent. The sum paid, however, was only one-third of the king's ransom demanded. At a lower level, ransom was part of the profit motive interwoven into medieval war. Successful warriors like the Hainault knight Sir Walter Manny could make fortunes.

The practice of parole became another feature of ransom during this period. An individual would be released after giving his word that he would not take up arms again until after the ransom had been paid in full. This again was an option available only to the nobility whose oath could be trusted.

By the close of the Thirty Years War in 1648 prisoners had become custody of the state rather than their individual captors. Concurrent with this development was the custom of exchanging POWs once hostilities had ceased. Prisoners could also be exchanged during the war. This was carried out on a man-for-man basis between combatants of equivalent rank or on a scale where a lieutenant would be worth four privates for example. The last occasion that this was carried out was probably during the American civil war.

— Jon Robb-Webb

n.

The purchase of that which neither belongs to the seller, nor can belong to the buyer. The most unprofitable of investments.

allium ursinum.

• Spending, Receiving, and Possessing Wealth - ransom: money paid for release of confiscated property or kidnap victim

This article is about the criminal practice. For other uses, see Ransom (disambiguation).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2010)

Look up ransom in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.

In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence.

Julius Caesar was captured by pirates near the island of Pharmacusa, and held until someone paid 50 talents to free him.^[1]

In Europe during the Middle Ages, ransom became an important custom of chivalric warfare. An important knight, especially nobility or royalty, was worth a significant sum of money if captured, but nothing if he was killed. For this reason, the practice of ransom contributed to the development of heraldry, which allowed knights to advertise their identities, and by implication their ransom value, and made them less likely to be killed out of hand. Examples include Richard the Lion Heart and Bertrand du Guesclin.

When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French rançon from Latin redemptio = "buying back":^[2] compare "redemption".

In Judaism ransom is called kofer-nefesh (Hebrew: כפר נפש‎). Among other uses, the word was applied to the poll tax of a half shekel to be paid by every male above twenty years at the census.^[3]

Although ransom is usually demanded only after the kidnapping of a person, it is not unheard of for thieves to demand ransom for the return of an inanimate object or body part. In 1987, thieves broke into the tomb of Argentinian president Juan Perón and stole his hands; they later demanded $8 million US for their return. The ransom was not paid.^[4]

The practice of towing vehicles and charging towing fees for the vehicle's release, is often euphemized or referred to as ransoming, especially by opponents of towing. (In Scotland, booting vehicles on private property is outlawed as extortion.)

See also

• Bail
• Murder
• Blackmail
• Extortion
• Kidnapping

References

1. ^ Plutarch, "The Life of Julius Caesar" in The Parallel Lives, Loeb Classical Library edition, 1919, Vol. VII, p. 445. The pirates originally demanded 20 talents, but Caesar felt he was worth more. After he was freed he came back, captured the pirates, took their money and eventually crucified all of them, a fate he had threatened the incredulous pirates with during his captivity.
2. ^  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "ransom". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
3. ^ Exodus 30:11-16
4. ^ "Peron Hands: Police Find Trail Elusive." The New York Times, September 6, 1987. Accessed October 16, 2009.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - løsesum, løsepenge
v. tr. - kræve løsepenge for

idioms:

• hold for ransom    (for a king's ransom) ikke for alt i verden
• hold to ransom    holde en fanget og kræve løsepenge for vedk

Nederlands (Dutch)
losgeld, vrijlating tegen losgeld, vrijkopen, vrijlaten tegen losgeld, gevangen houden en geld eisen voor vrijlating

Français (French)
n. - rançon, otage
v. tr. - payer une rançon pour

idioms:

• hold for ransom    (US, lit) garder (qn) en otage, (US, fig) tenir (qn) en otage
• hold to ransom    (GB, lit) garder (qn) en otage, (GB, fig) tenir (qn) en otage

Deutsch (German)
n. - Lösegeld
v. - auslösen, freikaufen

idioms:

• hold for ransom    als Geisel festhalten
• hold to ransom    als Geisel festhalten

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - λύτρα (εξαγοράς ή απελευθέρωσης ομήρου κ.λπ.)
v. - εξαγοράζω, ελευθερώνω έναντι λύτρων

idioms:

• hold for ransom    κρατώ αιχμάλωτο μέχρι να πάρω λύτρα
• hold to ransom    απαιτώ/ζητώ λύτρα, εκβιάζω κάποιον με απειλές

Italiano (Italian)
riscattare, riscatto

idioms:

• a king's ransom    di grande valore
• hold (to/for) ransom    sequestrare

Português (Portuguese)
n. - resgate (m), refém (m)
v. - resgatar, exigir resgate

idioms:

• hold (to/for) ransom    forçar uma negociação

Русский (Russian)
платить выкуп, выкуп

idioms:

• a king's ransom    баснословная сумма
• hold (to/for) ransom    требовать выкуп

Español (Spanish)
n. - rescate, redención
v. tr. - rescatar, redimir, pedir o exigir rescate

idioms:

• hold for ransom    pedir o exigir rescate, hacer chantaje, mantener prisionero a alguien para pedir rescate
• hold to ransom    pedir o exigir rescate, hacer chantaje, mantener prisionero a alguien para pedir rescate, secuestrar para pedir rescate

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - lösensumma, lösen
v. - kräva lösen, frige mot lösen, lösa ut

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
赎金, 赎回, 赎身, 解救, 勒索赎金

idioms:

• hold for ransom    勒赎, 挟迫同意, 绑票
• hold to ransom    绑票, 勒赎, 挟迫同意

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 贖金, 贖回, 贖身, 解救
v. tr. - 贖回, 勒索贖金

idioms:

• hold for ransom    勒贖, 挾迫同意, 綁票
• hold to ransom    綁票, 勒贖, 挾迫同意

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 몸값, 해방, 공갈
v. tr. - 배상하다, ~에서 몸값을 받다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 身代金, 釈放, 受け戻し, 賠償金, 贖罪

idioms:

• a king's ransom    王の身代金, 大金

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) فديه (فعل) يفتدي أسيرا, يحرر أسيرا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שחרור תמורת כופר, כופר‬
v. tr. - ‮שחרר תמורת כופר‬

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