Serfdom

The serfdom , of Latin servus , “slave”, is the medieval heir ancient bond of customers.

Difference with the Slavery

Its difference with the Esclavage comes from the legal status from the Serf, which enjoys a legal Personality.

So the serf is a thing , a quite material , but well a human being , a nobody bound by a contract to another person.

Thus, the serf does not belong to his lord; moreover, it has goods, can ester and to testify in justice, can contract (marriages, sale contracts) more or less freely. Its condition of serfdom could itself be the subject of a Contrat. The Christianisme was opposed so that Christians belong to other Christians. What binds the serf with his lord holds rather of vassalage: he owes him fidelity, like last stage of the feudal pyramid . This fidelity, like any Feudal bond , has a counterpart: the lord owes him protection.

To make a hazardous comparison with modern concepts, serfdom would be a contract of not-competition not limited neither geographically nor in the time, which prevents the serf from working for other lords without the authorization of his lord.

Nevertheless, the daily life of the serfs was not inevitably more enviable than that of the slaves.
On the long run, the statute of serfdom preserves all the same, from the drifts towards the racial or religious justifications of a inferiority by nature which one sees for slavery.

The personal serfdom and the real serfdom

These two states are distinguished owing to the fact that:
  • in serfdom personal, hereditary, the serf is attached to a ground, it cannot (theoretically) leave it and must accept its new lord when this ground is sold.

  • whereas in the real serfdom which is transmitted by the ground, a free man acquiring a servile tenure becomes serf; a serf leaving a servile tenure for a free ground (as a free city) was to be made recognize free. Often it was to buy its “frankness” or to flee far from its Master. Indeed, the lord had " right of suite" , which authorized it to continue that which was in escape of its field, and of the agreements of “entrecours” by which the lords committed themselves delivering the fugitive ones mutually.

Variances and persistence

Specificities of serfdom largely varied through the times and the areas. In some Country, serfdom mixed, was amalgamated with (or in exchange) of the Corvée S or of the Taxe S. In times of Guerre, it provided most extremely of military manpower.

Holy Germanic Roman Empire

The German right distinguished, the passive serf and the real serf of the free men, but only these two last had social rights and/or political S.

Thus, the passive serf worked on the reserve of a lord, and was thus obliged to pay, in addition to the loads with the lord, a public Impôt, Bede or Schatzung ; whereas the real serf (that which did not work on the reserve of a lord, but exploited the grounds of the farm under any kinds of beams: Hiring, Share-cropping, Tenant farming, etc). The large German lawyer Justus Möser (Osnabrück, 1720 - 1794) constantly stuck in his writings, nonliterary, to define, and if possible to develop, the capacities Politique S and Social be related to these two forms of serfdom.

Spain

In Spain, in 1414, bursts the quarrel of the “Conversos”, or Juifs converts (more or less voluntarily). They are a few hundreds of thousands which continue to practice into private the Judaïsme, but outside behave in Christian S. Continuing to practice the trades reserved to the Jews (loan of money), they also succeed in the offices and the trades which theirs are open since their conversion. Because officially Christian, they have the right to have real goods and to practice the trades prohibited to the Jews. They can thus have serfs and slaves (not very distinct concepts in Spain) whereas slavery is still rather widespread in the Iberian company. Consequence, they are criticized on the two sides: the Jews tax them with treason, while the “old Christians” jalousent them and complain some with the Inquisition.

France

In France, serfdom strongly decreased with the economic advancement of the end of the Moyen-âge which made it possible to the serfs to repurchase their contracts.

It almost disappeared after the One hundred Year old Guerre, because the shortage of manpower (the Grande Plague with it only carried between 1/4 and 1/3 of the population) supported competition between noble and the laying off of the serfs. Indeed, the noble ones of the vicinity proposed to the serfs to repurchase their contract to come to be installed freely on their many uncultivated lands, which obliged the noble room to make in the same way to preserve its personnel.

Nevertheless serfdom persisted locally until the Révolution which abolishes it with the Privilèges at the time of famous the Nuit of August 4th 1789.

Poland

In Poland - Lithuania, existed the statute of serf Paysan . Thus, on the seigneuriaux fields, the number of days of serfdom in the week was limited and variable with the times, energy one day or less than one day at six days. The remainder of time, the farmer could deal with his personal piece. However, time seigneurial always had tendency to alourdir : for example, so at the 13th century, this time was only of a few days in the year, at 14th the one day century per week, it was four days per week at the 17th century and of six at the 18th century. In theory, the seventh day being devoted at rest, the serf Paysan could not cultivate his personal piece any more.

On the other hand, the number of days of serfdom was never limited on the royal field.

Russia

In Russia generalized serfdom, concerning million people (the heart S), lasted of the beginning of the 17th century until in 1861. During its abolition by Alexandre II the February 19th 1861, one estimated at 40% of the population the number of serfs. In 1785, a report submitted to Catherine II of precise Russia that: manpower of the Russian army are of: 500,000 men with 9% the noble ones, 3% of middle-class man and 50% serfs; the remainder of Soldier S.

Scandinavia

Serfdom is closely dependant on the Féodalisme and in Scandinavia (Finland, Norway and Sweden) where feudalism was never really established, serfdom forever really existed.

However in Sweden, a form of contract close to serfdom existed between the 18th century and until in 1945, the Statare.

Dates of emancipation of the serfs in various countries

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