. The
maharlika were a martial class of freemen. Like the
timawa, they were free
vassals of their
datu who were exempt from taxes and tribute but were required to provide military service. In times of war, the
maharlika were obligated to provide and prepare weapons at their own expense and answer the summons of the
datu, wherever and whenever that might be, in exchange for a share in the war spoils (
ganima). They accompanied their ruler in battles as comrades-at-arms and were always given a share. 1/5 of the spoils goes to the
Ginoo and the 4/5 will be shared among the Maharlikans who participated, who in turn will subdivide their shares to their own warriors. The
maharlika may also occasionally be obligated to work on the lands of the
datu and assist in projects and other events in the community. While the
maharlika could change allegiances by marriage or by emigration like the
timawa, they were required to host a feast in honor of their current
datu and paid a sum ranging from six to eighteen pieces of gold before they could be freed from their obligations. In contrast, the
timawa were free to change allegiances at any time, The only other contemporary account of the
maharlika class was by the
Franciscan friar Juan de Plasencia in the 16th century. He distinguished them from the hereditary nobility class of the Tagalogs (the
maginoo class, which included the
datu). The historian
William Henry Scott believes that the class originated from high-status warriors who married into the
maginoo blood or were perhaps remnants of the nobility class of a conquered line. Similar high-status warriors in other Philippine societies like that of the
Bagobo, Higaonon Sugbohanon and the
Bukidnon did not inherit their positions, but were acquired through martial prowess. After the Spanish conquest, the Spanish translated the name maharlika as
Hidalgos (or
libres). ==Etymology==