Origin of the word freelance

After feeling frustrated with middlemen who loot freelancers, I was suddenly curious to know about the origin of the term freelance.

No wonder… the origin of the word freelance is from the ‘medieval mercenary warriors,’ who offered their service to the feudal lords and noblemen.

These freelancers might have gone into the battlefield for the silly reasons the feudal lords and noblemen had. Often the reason for a fight might have been some property dispute or women. The freelancers might have killed each other for the noblemen, who might have sat in their colossal mansions joking about the freelancers who died for their cause.

Similar are the middlemen of the modern day who feast on the toil of we freelancers.