Among a certain class of Medieval European society, eldest sons inherited the father's estate, second sons given to the Church and superfluous sons left to fend for themselves.
To encourage third sons to fly the nest, Dad forked out for a horse, armor and weaponry, and broadly hinted that it was getting pretty crowded around the castle these days and maybe the boy might want to get off that d@mn couch and earn his own bread and butter.
With Dad's knightly kit and nightly encouragement, superfluous noble-born sons could become 'lance knights', a term which meant much the same in the Middle Ages as 'hired gun' does today. A mercenary, if you will.
It comes as no surprise to learn that lance knights were identified by their lances - long wooden shafts with a sharp metal head. And lance knights were free in the sense that they weren't bound to the service of any one state, king or lord (a condition slaves, vassals, chattel and servants could only dream about).
Hence they were free lance knights. (A pedant might say they were really free lance-knights or free-lance knights, but that's a question best left to pickers of nit.) These knights could be hired by any King Thomas, Richard or Harry to work as escorts, guards and soldiers.
In the Twentieth Century, freelance (OED treats it as a single word) has come to mean any self-employed worker who is not committed to a single employer long term.
Many technical writers work freelance, a role which is for some a matter of choice (a freedom gladly embraced) but for others is one of necessity (a freedom thrust upon them by markets reluctant to hire in uncertain times).
Freelance writers are sometimes called independent writers, but that term carries none of the picturesque knightly connotations.
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