seigneurial system
Colonial land tenure
The seigneurial system was a form of land tenure in New France where the French crown granted large estates to landlords (seigneurs), who in turn parceled out land to tenant farmers (censitaires) in exchange for rents, labor obligations, and fees.
The system shaped settlement patterns along the St.
Lawrence River, creating long, narrow farms with river access.
Abolished in Quebec in 1854, its traces persist in property boundaries and place names.
- habitantResident of a place
- land grantGovernment-given real estate
- lordNobleman or ruler
- feudal contractMedieval lord-vassal agreement
- vassalLand-holding sworn subordinate
ancien régime · demesne · charter · serf · feudalism · New France · medieval society · notary · tithe · manor · rural settlement · fief · homage · jurisdiction · aristocracy · dues · estate · tribute
- QuebecQuebec City, Montreal, premier, National Assembly, premiers
- New FranceAcadia, Quebec, Montreal, Acadians, St. Lawrence
- Quebec HistoryNew France, Quebec, Champlain, Samuel de Champlain, Jacques Cartier
- Canadian FrontierBritish Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon
- Maritime CanadaAtlantic Canada, Maritimes, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island
- Canadian CatholicismJesuits, Catholic parishes, separate schools, parish priests, archdioceses
seigneurial systemegalitarianism
Philosophy of universal equality
social equality · democratic society · classless society · republicanism · emancipation
seigneurial systemcapitalism
Private profit-based economy
free market economy · commercial agriculture · market economy · free enterprise · industrial economy