A History of the "Freelancer"

Before it meant a designer with a laptop in a coffee shop, "freelance" meant a knight with a lance on a battlefield.

The term has a gritty, martial origin. In the Middle Ages, a "free lance" was a mercenary soldier—a knight or man-at-arms not sworn to any king or lord. His loyalty was flexible, his allegiance available to the highest bidder. He was a free agent, literally selling the power of his lance to whoever could pay.

Sir Walter Scott cemented the term in his 1819 novel, Ivanhoe, using it to describe these politically independent warriors for hire.

It’s a history that reframes our modern idea of "freedom."

The freelance graphic designer, the contract programmer, the consultant, they are the direct descendants of those medieval mercenaries. Their weapon is their expertise. Their battlefield is the marketplace. Their "lance" is their unique skill, which they offer not to a single corporate lord, but to the client who values it most.

So the next time you call yourself a freelancer remember the weight of the term. It carries the spirit of the independent warrior—trading the security of a castle for the autonomy of the open road, forever balancing the thrill of freedom with the pressure of being your own army.

freelance poet for hire

No set path to walk
Their own hands carve each paycheck
Freedom's price, self-sold