Each barangay had a mutable caste system, with any sub-classes varying from one barangay to the next. Generally, patriarchal lords and kings were called datus and rajas, while the "mahárlika" were the knight-like freedmen and the "timawa" were freedmen. The "alipin" or servile class were dependent on the upper classes, an arrangement regarded as slavery by the Spaniards. Intermarriage between the "timawa" and the "alipin" was permitted, which created a more or less flexible system of privileges and labour services. The Spaniards attempted to suppress this class system based on their interpretation that the dependent, servile class were an oppressed group. They failed at completely abolishing the system, but instead eventually worked to use it to their own advantage.