One of the most important stages in the history of Europe and Russia there is a period of corvée. This is a kind of labor service that is performed for the lands provided by the feudal lords. In Western Europe, a similar obligation extended to small-scale households, and the most various works. Field work was widespread in Russia.

Definition and history of corvée

At the turn of the 16th-18th centuries, corvée in Russia and Western Europe was the main element in agricultural production. Peasants were assigned to lands and forced to perform certain work in exchange for debts or land grants. From the lands provided by the feudal lords, the peasants could take only a small share of the harvest, and the rest went to the owners. Corvee periods were calculated in days, months or years. In some cases, it got to the point that people performed forced labor for several decades or their entire lives. Serfs were engaged not only in agriculture, but also performed such work as:

• construction;
• carpentry;
• housekeeping.

The first mention of the use of corvee in agricultural production was recorded in Russkaya Pravda. Labor conscription spread, quickly especially affecting the European part of Russia. Unlike Europe, forced labor for peasants lasted until the 19th century and was actually abolished in 1917.

Corvee is labor service in contrast to quitrent, which is payment in monetary terms, although both of these systems can be classified as taxes. The feudal lords used so-called legislative sanctions, which made it possible to establish certain relationships between the parties and use peasants to work on their lands.

In full, corvee was not considered forced labor, since this labor was free. The peasant received remuneration for cultivating the land or performing other work, but he himself did not have the right to claim or demand payment for his labor.

Using corvée at work

Corvee work in the XV-XVIII centuries was carried out in favor of the feudal lord in Western Europe and the boyar in Russia. This name comes from the Old High Germanic language where “fro” means master. This clearly characterizes this type of work, which has distinctive features from compulsory labor. In the first case, the peasant works only for the boyars or feudal lords, who belong to the upper class. This is a kind of slavery, because the size of the corvee was often set for several decades. Mandatory work in favor of a country or community had a specific purpose, in the form of building a dam, building a road or other government works. Such state service was classified as natural.

The introduction of corvee service is closely related to the emergence and abolition. In fact, this is the main element of this system, in which work activity on the lands of landowners there was a duty for serfs.

This type of labor during serfdom should be highlighted in separate category, because corvee differs significantly from free work and has differences with slavery.

Free labor- it's kind of labor agreement to carry out urgent work, which will be paid with a sum of money, harvest or other method agreed upon between the two parties. When using corvee, the serf received only a small share of his work and only at the discretion of the boyar. That is, the landowner could reward the serf, although most often the latter received only “crumbs” for survival.

Corvee differs slightly from slavery, but still there is a difference. If a person fell into slavery, then he found himself completely subordinate to the owner. Slaves were treated like things and were given personal property or property rights. In addition, the result of the slave’s work became entirely the property of the master. Corvee implies compulsory labor, but does not deprive serfs of personal belongings and free time. After work they could go home and do whatever they wanted.

The essence of serfdom and corvee

Serfdom developed quickly and widely in Russia. At first, agreements were reached between the boyars and serfs. The latter worked for the benefit of the master, but at the same time received their own personal time. During this time, they managed to use the master’s lands with his permission and thereby earn their living. This method of earning money was small, and was only enough to feed themselves.

Subsequently, corvee service and serfdom, as a form of government, changed in legislative terms. Boyars and feudal lords in Western Europe had the chance not only to have serfs, but also to embrace their family ties. That is, if serfs had children who were subsequently obliged to serve the master. In addition to family labor service, the boyars had the right to transfer from hand to hand serfs. Peasants often became a gift in high strata of society.

Serfdom made it possible to use serfs not only as a labor unit, but in some cases as warriors. This is explained simply. Each of the ranks of the high class had its own banner, which indicated the nobility of the family. Serfs were in the possession of the boyars, which means they were obliged to be under the banner. In case of small conflict situations gentlemen used serfs as warriors, giving out only small utensils as weapons. Such historical “games” were not common among the upper class, but they are mentioned in history.

Mention of corvée in ancient civilization

It's comparative old system, which was borrowed by Europe and Russia from earlier times.

Corvee was mentioned in writings from states such as:

• Greece;
• Germany.

The countries listed above were the titans of the world in ancient times, but the introduction of corvee led to the collapse. For example, in ancient Rome Initially, arable farming was used, which led to the prosperity of this state, but free labor was eventually replaced by corvée. This was done too early and hastily. The difference between the results of the work of free people and those of obliged people was colossal. Prosperous great empire began to slide steadily downward, and therefore it was decided to again use free labor, but at the same time introduce quitrent.

Approximately the same scenario occurred in Greece, where not only agriculture and the political level were developed. In Greece, all people were well versed in politics, freedom and their rights, because it was not for nothing that democracy began its formation in this state. The introduction of corvee not only reduced the level agriculture, but also gave rise to unrest on the part of the population, so a similar system in the manner of Rome was replaced by quitrent.

From other sources follows that there was no corvee in the Roman Empire at all. When the Roman provinces were captured by Germanic tribes, Tacitus, mentioning serfdom, said:

“The Germans have slaves in a different position than ours, among whom separate household services are distributed. Everyone has their own farm, estate. The master only imposes on them, as on colonos (ut colono), a certain rent of clothing, bread, livestock - this is all slavery.”

This suggests that in the Roman Empire, most likely, quitrent was originally used, and corvee did not spread everywhere, but only among small owners with the consent of serfs who wanted to use the land for food.

Regardless of the choice of source, it follows that corvee and quitrent were not introduced into the Roman Empire by the Germans. This form of government initially developed there, and was not abolished after the conquest of the Roman provinces. The Germans treated the inhabitants of Rome more respectfully, which is why many Roman inhabitants moved to already conquered villages.

Abolition of serfdom and corvee

February 16, 1861 by decree of Alexander II Serfdom was abolished, but only partially. Among the features of this reform, the following elements should be highlighted:

• people ceased to be considered serfs and received the right to own personal lands;
• every former serf had the right to redeem or receive a quarter of the land from the allotment free of charge;
• securing property as personal property.

This form of government was met with criticism from the boyars, but the reform was subsequently accepted. The peasants only at first rejoiced at the new reform, but subsequently significant flaws appeared . First of all, many peasants were left without land for their own food. It was possible to buy the land by earning money while remaining an urgently obligated worker for the master, but this required more than one year. The option of receiving a free quarter of land from an allotment was often eliminated, since many boyars gave out territory with bad soil. In wetlands with a high clay content in the soil, only a small number of crops can be grown.

This division led to significant deterioration in agriculture. While the masters lost their serfs, the peasants could not obtain land and earn their living through labor. Only several decades later, after numerous amendments to this form of government, corvée service was completely eradicated.

Conclusion

Introduction of corvee service, as forms of government in Russia and Western Europe, is of great importance for the history of the development of entire states.

Modern society is spoiled by the benefits of civilization. Young people, waking up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee, turn on the laptop to get acquainted with latest news, answer letters from friends, then leisurely get ready for school or work. Has anyone ever wondered how the morning began 100, 200, 300 years ago for the same girls and boys? Today, not everyone will be able to correctly answer the question of what quitrent and corvée are, but just two centuries ago people worked off their service, did not belong to themselves, and ruined their health in other people’s fields.

What is quitrent?

Over the centuries, several definitions of this concept have appeared. The quitrent first arose at the beginning of the formation Ancient Rus' when taxes were first introduced. Then the princes collected tribute from their subordinates in the form of food, money, and goods. Later, this type of duty appeared as the obligation of peasants to give part of their money or products to the feudal lords. The reform of 1861 abolished the food dues, and the monetary dues remained for another two years.

During feudalism, peasants were considered someone’s property, so feudal lords could give for use not only specific people, but also entire villages. A quitrent can be compared to a lease, that is, a nobleman provided his possessions for use to another nobleman. In the 16th century, a state tax appeared; duties were paid by landowners to the treasury. At the same time, the quitrent also applied to peasants, only they paid it not to the state, but to the owner of the land on which they lived and used to grow food. People could pay the master with money, goods or their own labor.

What is corvée?

For three centuries (XVI-XIX centuries) corvee existed. The concept is very simple - the peasant paid the rent of a plot of land that belonged to the feudal lord with his own labor. This is nothing more than a form of the work system. Corvee and quitrent are, in fact, very similar. Since the poor could not always pay tribute to the feudal lord in the form of money or food, because they themselves were left with nothing, the rich allowed them to repay the debt with labor.

What are quitrents and corvée in essence? These are unique forms of payment of rent for land. Corvee was collected only through physical labor, but it could be varied: agriculture, hunting, fishing, gardening, cattle breeding, etc. No one was exempt from this tribute, the work was absolutely free, the master did not pay anything for it.

Amounts of duties

During feudalism, local “Regulations” were in force, which deciphered in detail what quitrent and corvée were, as well as in what amounts they were collected. The amount paid for land varied depending on its location. For example, peasants who lived near St. Petersburg paid 12 rubles, but those from Moscow and Yaroslavl paid only 10 rubles. The smallest amount - 9 rubles - was paid by the poor of Kursk and after paying tribute, the peasant could not only use the landowner's land, but also freely dispose of his labor force.

Corvée is physical work, which was performed by temporarily obliged and serf peasants for the master. The amount of the duty was calculated based on the person’s per capita allotment. In one land plot women worked for a month, and men for 40 days. When he did not provide tools, the poor had to come with their own hoes, plows, shovels, fishing rods, etc. Women fell under corvée from the age of 17 to 50 years, and men from 18 to 55 years.

What are quitrents and corvée? What's the difference?

Corvee:

• Peasants with personal tools worked for free on the lands of landowners.
• The poor could work not only for the master, but also for a monastery, church, or educational institution.
• The duty was based on work with agriculture.
• Corvée was beneficial for landowners living in villages, since they themselves could set the amount of labor.
• Conscription enslaved the peasants and became widespread in Rus'.

quitrent:

Cancellation of duties

In Rus', quitrent and corvée somehow took root very well. Although there were differences between these two duties, they both made the peasants slaves, strangled them, and did not allow them to develop. The intelligentsia tried to fight feudalism, but it was all to no avail; the landowners, like leeches, sucked the strength out of the poor, exploiting them for their own purposes. Serfdom was abolished in 1861, and quitrent was also abolished in 1863. However, it took several more decades to completely change people’s consciousness and rebuild the economy to new way and destroy feudalism.

Corvee and quitrent are forms of political and economic dependence of peasants on feudal lords that existed in Ancient Rus' during the heyday of feudalism and the formation of serfdom.

The main difference between quitrent and corvee is that quitrent is the monetary or commodity payment of tax or rent, and corvee is the performance of work, physical labor, which goes towards the amount of land rent.

With the development of the feudal-serf system in Rus', very peculiar relations were established between land owners (feudal lords) and the people subordinate to them who lived on the lands of the feudal lord (peasants). Those peasants who could not afford to buy the land (and then this was completely prohibited by law) were forced to rent land from the feudal lord, and they had to pay for it. To pay the tax, they used either money received from the sale of products grown on the land, or the products themselves. People who became dependent on their master (feudal lord or prince) constantly had to pay a ransom in order to have the right to continue living on the land.

With the development of statehood and the tax system, quitrent was transformed into corvee - now the debt could not only be repaid, but also worked off.

quitrent

This concept has several basic definitions. The term “rent” was first mentioned in connection with the collection of taxes in the earliest period of development. Kievan Rus, when the princes traveled around the territory entrusted to them and collected quitrents in the form of goods from citizens, and then sold them on the market and put the money into the treasury. At that time, quitrents meant almost any tribute - money, food, or even people. Later, the concept of rent took on a more specific meaning that is familiar to us today. Quit began to be called the tribute paid by a dependent peasant to his feudal lord for the fact that the feudal lord allowed him to live on his land. The obrok existed in monetary form until 1863, and in commodity form until 1861, when serfdom was abolished.

The ancient Slavs understood the concept of quitrent in almost the same way as we now understand the word “rent”, so quitrent can be attributed not only to the relationship between peasant and feudal lord. Any person or even a community that leased a plot of land from a feudal lord or state for use was forced to pay a regular quitrent towards the land. In addition, among the feudal lords themselves it was normal to give “quitrent” not only goods and money, but even entire villages along with people, since peasants were then considered the property of the feudal lord.

Since the 16th century, quitrent has been a form of state tax paid by citizens to the state treasury. The peasants paid a quitrent to their feudal lord, the feudal lord paid a quitrent to those whose lands he rented (if they were not purchased), and thus the treasury was regularly replenished. Over time, this created serious economic difficulties, so it was decided to replace the quitrent with corvee.

Corvee

Corvée is the work of a serf peasant in favor of a feudal lord in payment of money for the use of land.

Corvee became widespread in the 16th century, when quitrents proved to be not very the best system collecting money, since often the poor peasants, who were already living from hand to mouth, simply did not have the money to pay the feudal lord. If the peasant gave the quitrent in goods, then the peasant’s family then starved, some even died. In this regard, it was decided to allow peasants to work on the land of the feudal lord for free in order to work off their debt. Moreover, it was possible to earn money not only by directly working in the fields of the feudal lord, one could engage in fishing, hunting, serving in the house - everything that could be useful went towards the corvee.

Corvee had several basic principles on which it was built. Firstly, corvee was collected exclusively for physical labor; often the feudal lords did not even look at the age of the peasant or his physical condition. Secondly, labor on the land of the feudal lord was absolutely free; a peasant could work in the field or hunt all day, and in the end receive nothing and come home empty-handed. Thirdly, no one was exempt from corvee; it was actually a labor service, which existed parallel to quitrent in some cases.

Unlike quitrent, corvee turned out to be more tenacious and existed for a long time, in some territories even after the abolition of serfdom. However, before being repealed, a decree on three-day corvee was issued in 1797, when corvee was limited to three days and did not allow the feudal lord to take the peasant into labor dependence and use him as cheap labor.

The end of corvee and quitrent

Corvee and quitrent in Rus', despite all the horror similar system, despite constant attempts to fight, existed for quite a long time and persisted in one form or another until the end of the 19th century. The reason for this lay in the economic state of the country, which over so many centuries of feudalism simply could not adapt to the new system; feudalism led to the fact that people were deeply dependent on each other and even when the peasants could leave, they had no means, to do this. Corvée and quitrent, like all feudalism, greatly weakened the economy of Rus' and became one of the reasons why the state lagged behind advanced European countries.

It seems to us that the phenomena of past eras are infinitely far from us, hidden by the veil of time... But in fact, in order to better understand and correctly evaluate the events taking place in reality, you must know history. How did peasant duties such as quitrent and corvée differ from each other? Let's try to figure it out.

quitrent- a payment expressed in food or cash, which the peasants gave to the landowners.
Corvee- forced free labor of serfs on the landowner's land with their personal tools.

Comparison of quitrent and corvee

What is the difference between quitrent and corvee?
Corvée, the free work of serfs on landowners' land, was borrowed from Western Europe and appeared during the times of Kievan Rus. It first spread to those parts of the country that were under Polish-Lithuanian occupation. This was compulsory free labor, and the peasant worked the landowner's plots with his own tools. Duties included plowing, harvesting grain and hay, building houses, cultivating gardens, spinning flax, brewing beer, and baking bread. It developed gradually: at first it was one day of compulsory work per week. At first, corvee was not legally supported; the peasant could buy off his duties by paying a tax. But then the conditions of corvee became more and more stringent with each century, becoming unbearable for the peasants. Peasants had to serve up to 30-40 days of service for each plot of land they owned. After the reform of 1861, which consisted of the abolition of serfdom, corvee remained only as a temporary service and was determined by a voluntary agreement between the landowner and the peasant. Cash dues became the main form of service.
The obrok existed from about the same time as the corvee, but was less widespread. A quitrent is money or products that a peasant gave to a landowner. The quitrent paid in products was called in kind, and in money - accordingly, monetary. Quirk in kind, in contrast to corvee, consisted of the landowner collecting the surplus product that was produced by the peasant on his farm. Cash dues were collected less frequently, since it was more difficult for peasants to get money.

TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between quitrent and corvee is as follows:

Corvée is the unpaid labor of a serf on the land of a landowner with his personal tools; quitrent is a cash or food payment.
Corvée could be served by peasants not only in favor of the landowner, but also in favor of churches, monasteries, and educational institutions.
Corvée has existed since the times of Kievan Rus and was more widespread than quitrent.
Corvée was based on cultivating the land. The quitrent could be obtained from a third-party trade not related to agriculture.
The landowner could demand payment of rent in advance.
The landowners preferred that the peasant serve corvee, since in in this case the amount of labor was determined only by the desires and needs of the landowner. But for nobles who constantly lived in cities, it was more profitable to receive quitrent.
It was believed that a peasant on quitrent became theoretically freer than on corvee.

It seems to us that the phenomena of past eras are infinitely far from us, hidden by the veil of time... But in fact, in order to better understand and correctly evaluate the events taking place in reality, you must know history. How did peasant duties such as quitrent and corvée differ from each other? Let's try to figure it out.

Definition

quitrent- a payment expressed in food or cash, which the peasants gave to the landowners.

Corvee- forced free labor of serfs on the landowner's land with their personal tools.

Comparison

Corvee, the free work of serfs on the land of the landowners, was borrowed from Western Europe and appeared during the Kievan Rus. It first spread to those parts of the country that were under Polish-Lithuanian occupation. This was compulsory free labor, and the peasant worked the landowner's plots with his own tools. Duties included plowing, harvesting grain and hay, building houses, cultivating gardens, spinning flax, brewing beer, and baking bread. It developed gradually: at first it was one day of compulsory work per week. At first, corvee was not legally supported; the peasant could buy off his duties by paying a tax. But then the conditions of corvee became more and more stringent with each century, becoming unbearable for the peasants. Peasants had to serve up to 30-40 days of service for each plot of land they owned. After the reform of 1861, which consisted of the abolition of serfdom, corvee remained only as a temporary service and was determined by a voluntary agreement between the landowner and the peasant. Cash dues became the main form of service.

The obrok existed from about the same time as the corvee, but was less widespread. A quitrent is money or products that a peasant gave to a landowner. The quitrent paid in products was called in kind, and in money - accordingly, monetary. Quirk in kind, in contrast to corvee, consisted of the landowner collecting the surplus product that was produced by the peasant on his farm. Cash dues were collected less frequently, since it was more difficult for peasants to get money.

Conclusions website

1. Corvée is the unpaid labor of a serf on the land of a landowner with his personal tools; quitrent is a cash or food payment.
2. Corvée could be served by peasants not only in favor of the landowner, but also in favor of churches, monasteries, and educational institutions.
3. Corvée has existed since the times of Kievan Rus and was more widespread than quitrent.
4. Corvée was based on cultivating the land. The quitrent could be obtained from a third-party trade not related to agriculture.
5. The landowner could demand payment of rent in advance.
6. The landowners preferred that the peasant serve corvee, since in this case the amount of labor was determined only by the desires and needs of the landowner. But for nobles who constantly lived in cities, it was more profitable to receive quitrent.
7. It was believed that a peasant on quitrent became theoretically freer than on corvee.