Scutage is a term that refers to a fee paid by a knight or nobleman to avoid military service. Synonyms for scutage include shield-money, shield tax, knight's fee, and knight's ransom. Shield-money reflects the fact that scutage was traditionally paid in exchange for the knight's shield, while shield tax emphasizes the compulsory nature of the payment. Knight's fee and knight's ransom both conjure up images of the cost of knighthood and the value placed on the status of a knight. While scutage itself may have fallen out of use in modern times, these synonyms are still useful for understanding the historical context of medieval warfare and nobility.