serfage
Peasant labor system
Serfage is the condition of being a serf—a peasant bound to the land under feudal systems, obligated to work for a lord in exchange for protection and the right to farm.
The term encompasses the legal and social status of serfs, their obligations, and the broader institution of serfdom: The abolition of serfage transformed Russian society.
Now chiefly historical.
State of being controlled
- thrallOne held captive
- subservienceExcessive willingness to obey
- obligationRequired task or commitment
- dependencyState of needing support
indenture · oppression · exploitation · unfreedom · bound · tied · chattel · enslavement
subjection
State of being controlled
- thrallOne held captive
- subservienceExcessive willingness to obey
- obligationRequired task or commitment
dependency · indenture · oppression · exploitation · unfreedom · bound · tied · chattel · enslavement · subjugation
manorialism
Medieval estate labor system
- villeinageFeudal tenant bondage
- demesneLord's private estate
- fiefdomFeudal territory under lord
lordship · vassal · peasantry · tithe · suzerain · liege · homage · bailiff · seneschal · castellan
toil
Strenuous, prolonged effort
cultivate · thresh · reap · till · fieldwork · husbandry · cropping · grain · fallow · scythe
serfagefreedom
Absence of constraint
liberty · emancipation · manumission · enfranchisement · self-determination
serve, service, serving, servant, served, server, services, servitude, servile