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The term franklin denotes a member of a social class or rank in England in the 12th to 15th centuries. In the period when Middle English was in use, a franklin was simply a freeman; that is, a man who was ''not'' a serf, in the feudal system under which people were tied to land which they did not own, in bondage to a member of the nobility who owned that land. The surname "Fry", derived from the Old English "frig" ("free born"), indicates a similar social origin. The meaning of the word "franklin" evolved to mean a ''freeholder''; that is, one who holds title to real property in fee simple. In the 14th and 15th centuries, franklin was "the designation of a class of landowners ranking next below the landed gentry".〔Oxford English Dictionary〕 ==Etymology== According to the OED, the term franklin is derived from Middle English ''franklen'', ''frankeleyn'', ''francoleyn'', from Anglo-Latin ''francalanus'' a person owning ''francalia'', "territory held without dues". Collins mentions the Anglo-French ''fraunclein'', "a landowner of free, but not noble birth", from Old French ''franc'' free + ''-lein'', "-ling", formed on the model of "chamberlain"; all these go back to Late Latin ''francus'' "free" or "a free man", from Frankish *''Frank'', "a freeman", literally, "a Frank"; cognate with Old High German ''Franko'', which meant a German from a confederation in Franconia of which a branch conquered Gaul, from which event is also explained the name of the country France. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Franklin (class)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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