The Collaborative International Dictionary
Tallage \Tal"lage\, Talliage \Tal"li*age\, n. [F. taillage. See Taille, and cf. Tailage.] (O. Eng. Law) A certain rate or tax paid by barons, knights, and inferior tenants, toward the public expenses. [Written also tailage, taillage.]
Note: When paid out of knight's fees, it was called
scutage; when by cities and burghs, tallage; when
upon lands not held by military tenure, hidage.
--Blackstone.
Escuage \Es"cu*age\ (?; 48), n. [OF. escuage, F. ['e]cuage, from
OF. escu shield, F. ['e]cu. See Esquire.] (Feud. Law)
Service of the shield, a species of knight service by which a
tenant was bound to follow his lord to war, at his own
charge. It was afterward exchanged for a pecuniary
satisfaction. Called also scutage.
--Blackstone.
Wiktionary
n. (context historical English) A tax, paid in lieu of military service, that was a significant source of revenue in England in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Wikipedia
Scutage is a medieval English tax levied on holders of a knight's fee under the feudal land tenure of knight-service. Under feudalism the king, through his vassals, provided land to knights for their support. The knights owed the king military service in return. The knights were allowed to "buy out" of the military service by paying scutage. As time passed the king began to impose a scutage on holders knight's fees, even in time of peace.
Usage examples of "scutage".
The King wisely compromised the matter by offering to accept from each knight a sum of money in lieu of service, called scutage, or shield money.
By a tax called scutage, or shield money, levied on all knights who refused to serve the King in foreign wars, Henry II obtained the means to hire soldiers.
Tis known he sends knights for your wars in England and Wales, but he sends scutage for your French wars, since he has no personal interest there.
And three hundred knights is worth more than the one thousand mercenaries their fees in scutage would bring you, you will agree.
Some have sent you knights and scutage and men at arms, and posted the call along to those they trust.
Stephen only when it suited me, paid scutage when it did not, and have even gone against him when one of his loyal followers has earned my enmity.
Still, by the way they held their swords, he could see these were trained knights and not dandies out to pay scutage to their English king for their service.
Every time you rejected a suitor, Edward levied scutage on his vassals so he could add more gold to your dowry.
We accordingly find, that Henry, in the course of his reign, while he gave frequent occasions for complaint with regard to his violations of the Great Charter, never attempted, by his own will, to levy any aids or scutages, though he was often reduced to great necessities, and was refused supply by his people.