The Compagnie des Cent-Associés owned all the land and had the right to grant estates to seigneurs under the feudal laws of France. Many such grants were made, some to religious orders of priests and nuns, mostly to lay seigneurs who, it was hoped, would settle on their estates and gather about them a community under feudal rule. The seigneurity was essentially a large farm with tenants who supported themselves by working on the farm and was based on the medieval principle of ‘no land without its lord’. The plan in New France was to give land parcels to entrepreneurs who would develop the land by employing peasants as laborers to make the land suitable for habitation. The seigneur had complete and total control over everything on the seigneurity including education, policing, medical matters, marriage, food and shelter. He built the seigneurity’s flour milling facilities and other public buildings as required. In return, he collected rent from his tenants.
LOCAL HISTORY
1627 - Seigneurial system introduced by King Louis XIV of France, forbade settlement in New France by anyone other than Roman Catholics. (www.worldatlas.com)
Connected to
The Compagnie des Cent-Associés owned all the land and had the right to grant estates to seigneurs under the feudal laws of France. Many such grants were made, some to religious orders of priests and nuns, mostly to lay seigneurs who, it was hoped, would settle on their estates and gather about them a community under feudal rule. The seigneurity was essentially a large farm with tenants who supported themselves by working on the farm and was based on the medieval principle of ‘no land without its lord’. The plan in New France was to give land parcels to entrepreneurs who would develop the land by employing peasants as laborers to make the land suitable for habitation. The seigneur had complete and total control over everything on the seigneurity including education, policing, medical matters, marriage, food and shelter. He built the seigneurity’s flour milling facilities and other public buildings as required. In return, he collected rent from his tenants.
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