ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Håndfæstning

Håndfæstning is an old word from Denmark that means "handfasting". It was a kind of agreement made a long, long time ago between a king and his subjects. It was kind of like a contract or a promise.

When a new king became the ruler of a country, he would make a håndfæstning with the people who lived there. This meant that the king and the people agreed on certain rules. These rules were things like how taxes would be collected, how people would be punished if they broke the law, and how new laws would be made.

If the king broke any of these rules, then the people would have the right to complain and the king would have to listen to them. The king couldn't just do whatever he wanted!

Håndfæstning was a very important part of life a long time ago. It helped to make sure that the king was fair and just to his people, and that everyone knew what was expected of them. Nowadays, we don't use håndfæstning anymore, but we still have rules and agreements that help us live together in a peaceful and fair way.