By Group 3

Seigneurialism was a system of land tenure used in

some rural areas of 18th century France. It was
derived from and contained aspects of medieval
feudalism.
 Medieval feudalism as a system had died out in France by
the 1500s. By the turn of the 18th century, France had a
strengthening national government and a rapidly changing
economy – yet remnants of feudalism lingered in many
rural areas.This diluted form of feudalism, which
historians now refer to as seigneurialism, was chiefly
economic and concerned only with ownership and tenure
of the land.
 Unlike medieval feudalism, which connected social classes
and provided stability and security in a small community,
18th-century seigneurialism took the form of a land
contract between the seigneur(lord or landowner) and
the peasant farmer.
 In seigneurial holdings, peasants were required to make
annual payments to the seigneur, either in cash (cens) or
with produce (champart). The seigneur also charged
taxes for using infrastructure like the flour mill, wine
press and baker’s oven (banalités).
 The seigneur could also demand a period of unpaid labour
from his tenants, called the corvée. Many peasants were
also subject to seigneurial courts, which were overseen
by the seigneur.
 The system was highly criticised for its inequality, noting
that in some seigneuries the peasants existed as virtual
slaves.
Owns the
seigneurie Seigneur/ landowner

Works at the
Peasants seigneurie under
the control of
the seigneur
 Feudalism was a socio-political and economic structure
used during the Middle Ages in Western Europe. Under
this system, people were granted land in return for
certain services. Feudalism was practiced throughout
every social class level.
 Also referred to medieval Europe’s dominant social
system where land was held by nobility was assigned
lands by the crown in exchange of military service. The
nobles allowed the common people, especially peasants,
to stay and farm in the land owned by them and give
them military protection in exchange of their service in
the form of labor or a share of the crop produce.
 The practice of feudalism in Europe is believed to have
begun around the 8th century AD in the Frankish
kingdom. Previously, land grants had been permanent with
full ownership. Around this time, however, the Kings
decided to keep ownership of the land and grant only its
use. This idea soon spread throughout other areas of
Europe, including Spain, Germany, Italy, and Slavic lands.
Sometime around 1066 AD, feudalism made its way to
England with the Norman invasion. From here, it spread
to Scotland and Ireland.
 the king held the highest social class and divided all of the
nation’s lands among several barons.
 In exchange for this land, the barons promised loyalty and
soldiers to the king. These large tracts of land were
known as fiefs.
 The Barons maintained armies and further divided their
land among lords. The lords were knights and owed
military service to the barons in the event of war. They
also ran manors, large houses or castles, on their lands.
These manors were central to life in the countryside and
provided a place for both celebrations and protection for
the villagers.
 The lords provided plots of land to the peasant class or
serfs for farming and producing food. Some of the
peasants had businesses like metalwork or bakeries. They
paid taxes to the lord in exchange for land holding.
 Lords and Barons are also referred to as vassals.
 KING

Tenant-in-
chief or
baron

Knights or
lords

Peasant
worker