villeinage

• Substantif historique désignant le statut juridique ou l'état de dépendance du vilain (paysan serf) dans le système féodal, ainsi que la tenure de terre concédée à un vilain.

A historical noun referring to the legal status or condition of servitude of a villein or feudal serf, as well as the tenure by which a villein held land.

indénombrable

1. Legal status of a villeinC2formalbritish

   The condition or legal status of being a villein, a feudal serf bound to a lord's land.

   Condition de vilain

   • Villeinage was a common legal status in medieval England.
   • The lord could not easily free a peasant from villeinage.
   • Historians study villeinage to understand feudal society.

   Synonymesbondageserfdomthraldomvassalage

2. Land tenure of a villeinC2formalbritish

   The system or tenure by which a villein held land from a lord, typically in exchange for labor and services.

   Tenure en vilenage

   • Under villeinage, the serf worked the lord's fields in return for a small plot.
   • The terms of villeinage were strictly enforced by the manor court.
   • Villeinage gradually declined after the Black Death.