Serfdom

Serfdom was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed during late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages in Europe and lasted in some countries until the mid-19th century and became the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems.

thumb|200px|Francisco Hernández Girón was a Spanish encomendero in the [[Viceroyalty of Peru who protested the New Laws in 1553. These laws, passed in 1542 but repealed in 1545, gave certain rights to indigenous peoples and protected them against abuses. Drawing by Felipe Guamán Poma de Ayala.]]

tenant farmers in the late Roman Empire and the Early Middle Ages

1846 peasant revolt and massacre

thumb|The term in its original sense: Bremervörde Castle with the fortified Vorwerk (marked B). thumb|Vorwerk (administrator's lodge) of Frauenstein Castle, Carinthia, Austria. Folwark is a Polish word derived from the German Vorwerk. A Folwark or Vorwerk is an agricultural estate or a separate branch operation of such an estate, historically a serfdom-based farm and agricultural enterprise (a type of latifundium), often very large. The term has changed its meaning several times throughout history and can therefore be used in various ways.

thumb|Foreman and country peon by Prilidiano Pueyrredón (1823 - 1870)

The Repartimiento () (Spanish, "distribution, partition, or division") was a colonial labor system imposed upon the indigenous population of Spanish America and the Philippines. In concept, it was similar to other tribute-labor systems, such as the ''mit'a of the Inca Empire or the corvée of the Ancien Régime de France: Through the pueblos de indios, the Amerindians were drafted work for cycles of weeks, months, or years, on farms, in mines, in workshops (obrajes''), and public projects.

A villein is a class of serf tied to the land under the feudal system. As part of the contract with the lord of the manor, they were expected to spend some of their time working on the lord's fields in return for land. Villeins existed under a number of legal restrictions that differentiated them from freemen, and could not leave without his lord's permission. Generally, villeins held their status not by birth but by the land they held, and it was also possible for them to gain manumission from their lords. The villeinage system largely died out in England in 1500, with some forms of villeinag

annual holiday in Tibet

Obelisk in Copenhagen, Denmark

dispute regarding the existence, nature, and extent of serfdom in the historical region of Tibet

land reform in the 16th-century Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Polish historical document

Russian and Ukrainian political émigré and newspaper publisher (1832-1916)

thumb|The Liberty Memorial, Copenhagen|Frihedsstøtten () in Copenhagen which was erected in 1792. The obelisk is in memory of the 1788 peasant reforms which led to the abolition of the stavnsbånd. The stavnsbånd () was a serfdom-like institution introduced in Denmark in 1733 which existed in some form until 1800. It bonded men between certain ages to live on the estate where they were born. It was possible, however, to purchase a pass from the landowner releasing one from this bondage. Thus, in practice, estate owners and their sons were not typically bound to live on their estates, but young

The vornedskab was a serfdom-like institution introduced in Denmark in the late 14th-century to ensure a working force for the landowners in a time period when the population had diminished after the Black Death in Denmark, and the landowners wanted to prevent the remaining peasantry from achieving better conditions or leaving the countryside for the cities. It was abolished in 1702. In 1733, serfdom was reintroduced in Denmark under the new name stavnsbånd.

unfree peasant class of early modern Poland

law text promulgated in 1256 by the Commune of Bologna proclaiming the abolition of slavery and the release of serfs (servi della gleba), containing a list of the 5855 slaves released