Hiberna


Hiberna in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was also known as "chleb zimowy" and it was an obligation to guarantee accommodation for troops during winter time. It was an obligation of Królewszczyzna and church estates. Initially it was paid-in-kind, in 1649-1652 it was a targeted tax to support the troops collected by Grand Crown Hetman. Over time hiberna absorbed some other taxes and extended to other population categories.
The term is borrowed from ancient Rome, where the castra hiberna were a winter camps for Roman legions.