Wikipedia explains that corvee is unpaid forced labor on the landowner's land, carried out by the peasant in predetermined volumes for a certain period of time using his own tools and tools.
The time frame for the prevalence of this phenomenon includes the 16th – 19th centuries, although references to this type of conscription were recorded in written sources from different countries in an earlier period.
The phenomenon flourished most in Russia and European countries in the period from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Its defining essence is free work performed by peasants for the benefit of feudal lords in exchange for the provision of land for personal use, without the right to receive remuneration.
In fact, the peasants could only take part of the harvest for themselves; a significant share of it went to the landowner. The period of work for the master was calculated in days, months, in some cases even decades.
The concept of corvee" is inextricably linked with the development of the serf system; it cannot be attributed to free labor activity performed by agreement of the parties, but it is not classified as slavery either. Personal freedom was taken away from the slaves, and the peasants, dependent on the landowners, had free time to solve life problems, improve their homes, run farmsteads, and had the right to their own tools and personal belongings.
Note! Corvee became one of the forms of feudal rent; in addition, there was food and cash rent.
A special place in the system of labor duties was occupied by field work, which was widespread in the warm season. Due to being busy in the master's field, the peasant had practically no opportunity to process his own crops in a timely manner.
Difference from quitrent
Quirk is a type of service, which is a tax for the use of the landowner's lands. This form of rent obliges the landowner to provide part of the harvest in kind or in cash. The most common form of quitrent was the “5th sheaf” (1/5 of the harvest received was given to the landowner). In addition, the quitrent could include items from trades and crafts.
In order to combat the arbitrariness of land owners, the amount of quitrent that the peasant was obliged to pay was legally established. For each province, the fee was calculated individually. After completing work and paying taxes, the peasant had the opportunity to work freely to maintain his well-being.
Determining the differences between working for a master and paying quitrent is possible after a comprehensive study of the main characteristics.
| Traits of corvée | Features of quitrent |
| Free labor activity on the lands of the landowner | Allocation of part of the harvest or funds from the sale of agricultural products to the landowner’s budget |
| The church and the state could act as “master” | Wide range of applications |
| The work was carried out mainly in the agricultural sector | Payment was made in advance |
| The amount of time for working was determined by the owner of the land independently | This form was convenient for nobles living in the city |
| Distributed to varying degrees of intensity throughout the Russian state | Limited distribution (among the wealthy strata of the serfs and in conditions of insufficiently high yields) |
Thus, it can be noted that the general difference between labor service and various payments in favor of the landowner is very significant. What is common is the parallel existence of all forms of rent during the period of severe serfdom.
Evolution of the concept in Russia
The first mentions of the practice of corvée within the borders of the Russian state date back to the period of the existence of Kievan Rus. This is the free labor of slaves in large estates. "Russkaya Pravda" mentions the beginnings of corvée, which is characterized by the performance of various types of work through purchases.
During this period, the relationship between landowners and purchases was of a contractual nature: temporary employment in the master's farm was due to debts for the use of the owner's agricultural implements or the possibility of living on the land.
In the Middle Ages, peasant labor was introduced on monastic lands and quitrent in kind was introduced. Hired labor on arable land and meadows in exchange for compensation from the landowner is also becoming widespread. Written sources note that these works are voluntary, which means there is no legal regulation of corvee.
With the growth of commodity-money relations in the 16th century, corvée expanded its action, attracting new categories of peasants, forming the total mass of the dependent population. Agricultural goods were in great demand on the domestic market; landowners were interested in increasing profits and acreage, and as a result, in increasing the tax burden on peasants. Having gone through this path of development, corvée is already more focused on expanding trade relations and increasing the profitability of enterprises than on providing for the vital needs of the landowner.
The work was varied. These were not only labor duties associated with the cultivation of the lord's arable land, but also activities related to maintaining the landowner's yard in order, construction, hay harvesting, and caring for livestock. As a result of the development of industrial production, it was practiced to attach entire villages to manufactories.
It is important to note! During this period, in the Russian state, by increasing the number of taxes and increasing quitrents, a national system of serfdom was being formed.
In the 17th century, differentiation of types of rent occurred in different regions of the country. It is logical that corvee became most widespread in the black earth regions and central counties than in the northern and eastern regions. The corvée economy is characterized as ineffective; it was replaced by labor payments. State peasants were put on cash rent.
The scope of forced labor is also expanding; peasants are being used for work in industrial enterprises. There were no clearly regulated rules establishing the size of corvée. The decree on three-day corvee, issued in 1797, was rather advisory in nature for landowners. The practice of moving to a month was popular: in exchange for daily labor, the landowner supported the serf, providing food and shelter.
The strengthening of the serfdom system had a negative impact on the economic component of the peasant economy, leading to the dispossession and ruin of huge peasant masses.
Peasants during the release of the manifesto on the three-day corvee
Features of business abroad
The corvée type of farming in its classical form has not become widespread in eastern countries. The form of labor service was presented in the form of involving peasants in construction at the state level of importance:
- bridges,
- palaces,
- irrigation.
For Western Europe, corvée is the most typical way of life in the estate:
- The use of forced peasant labor has been practiced since the 8th century, its duration varied from 2 to 4 times a week.
- By the 12th century, due to the reduction of the master's economy and the transition to the domain, quitrent gradually began to supplant corvee.
- By the beginning of the 17th century, corvée had completely outlived its usefulness, surviving in the form of labor for several days a year.
Corvee in Europe
The feudal economies of France and Germany went through a similar path. People employed in corvée work had virtually no right to free labor, and the authorities were not concerned about their well-being. It was possible to get rid of the remnants of the old system only through coups d'etat and large-scale reform of the system of society and the state.
Geographically, corvee existed in the northern lands of Italy, however, the main form of rent was quitrent. Corvee labor in Spain did not develop intensively enough due to the influence of the invasion of the Arabs in the 8th century, who were not supporters of this type of service. The same situation accompanied the history of the Balkan states, which were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The struggle for independence from feudal shackles in Sweden, Norway and Switzerland was over by the 14th century.
The English monarchy did not support the humiliation of the lower strata of society by the nobles, so free labor on the lands of the feudal lords was not welcomed. But hired labor and paid compulsory work have become increasingly widespread. After the reforms carried out by Charles II in the second half of the 17th century, feudal remnants in society were completely destroyed.
During the Middle Ages, the exploitation of peasant labor was not widespread in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, but in modern times, with the development of entrepreneurship, serfdom takes a new turn, establishing corvee work as the dominant type of agricultural production. The term of detention increases, reaching in some cases almost daily. A significant reduction in labor obligations occurred only at the end of the 18th century, but remnants of the old way of life in certain territories continued to exist until the middle of the 20th century.
Useful video: traditional farming - corvée and quitrent
Conclusion
The abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861 also marked the elimination of duties. A complete abandonment of established forms of rent was impossible in a short period; because of this, a category of temporarily obliged peasants appeared who were forced to work out their right to freedom from serfdom. After the introduction of the labor system in 1882, the previous system actually continued to exist, because the redemption amount was unaffordable for the ordinary peasant, even with a loan from the state.
Corvée and quitrent are the political and economic dependence of peasants on feudal lords. These concepts are typical both for the feudal period of the development of Rus' and for the times of the formation of statehood.
Rent in the times of feudal lords and princes
Quiet has several definitions. During the development of feudalism within the borders of Kievan Rus, there was a fairly close relationship between the feudal lords (the people in whose power the land was) and the peasants living in this territory. Those who did not have the opportunity to purchase their own plot of land were forced to work for someone else. This right had to be paid for.
In a similar situation were the tribes and communities of ancient Rumi, whose lands were seized by the princes. They also had to make regular payments to the state treasury in order to live on their lands. People who were in a similar situation (regardless of the time of their existence) were forced to regularly give the established ransom. At this time, goods and products provided to the master's table or sold on the market were used as a tax. Later a monetary rent appeared.
Modern interpretation of quitrent
If we call the events of antiquity in modern terms, then quitrent is a kind of rent. It was paid for the fixed-term or indefinite use of real estate, based on the terms of the lease agreement. The quitrent is characterized by a private law nature, clearly expressed in the payment of the “ quitrent from the top-up”. It was levied on people who owned trading places, shops, taverns, forges, mills, who carried out public auctions and transportation. Among the payers were those who carried out beaver runs, fishing and other industrial work.
In the 16th century, peasants were equated with things in feudal ownership. Therefore, very often entire villages with the population living in them were given out for rent. In addition, the tenant paid not only the rent (it was a relatively small amount), but also all state taxes and duties. The peasants were also obliged to pay rent to their owner for the use of these lands, which provided them with food and livelihood.
If the peasant did not have money or goods, he had to work. This was the beginning of the formation of corvée.
Corvee
If a person used the land and for some reason could not pay the dues in money or food, he had to work for a certain time in favor of the feudal lord on his plot. And that’s exactly how corvée and quitrent differ - this is the form of rent.
Corvee was very common in the 16th century. At that time, it replaced the quitrent, the definition of which we have already given, but it existed for much less time. This is due to the fact that it was not always possible to grow enough food on rented land to feed a family and give it to the feudal lord. During times of crop failure, the peasant who gave the rent to his master was forced to starve. Therefore, the feudal lords introduced the possibility of paying quitrents by performing free work on their lands.
The main characteristics of corvée include:
- collection solely in the form of various physical labor, and not goods;
- the obligatory nature of this form of payment of land rent for everyone without exception;
- free.
General differences between corvee and quitrent
Corvee, the free work of serfs on the land of the landowner, was borrowed from the western part of Europe. This happened during the existence of Kievan Rus. At first, its spread covered parts of the country under the occupation of Poland and Lithuania. The peasant performed these obligatory works absolutely free of charge, using his own tools.
After the abolition of serfdom in 1861, corvee was a temporary service. It took the form of a voluntary agreement between the peasant and the owner of the land. Cash taxes have become more common.
The existence of quitrent is characterized by approximately the same time as the spread of corvee. Quirk is money and food products given by the peasant to the landowner. The natural form of this service differs from corvée in that the landowner collected the surplus product produced by the debtor. The financial form was not so common due to the fact that it was very difficult for an ordinary person to get money.
Based on this, we can conclude that corvee and quitrent are duties that were very often combined.
The main differences between labor and monetary forms of conscription
- Corvee was the unpaid labor of a serf, performed using his own personal tools; quitrent was a definition of cash or food payment.
- Corvee was served not only for the landowner, but also for the church, monastery or educational institution.
- Detention was more common than monetary duties.
- Corvée was based on physical labor on the land, and the quitrent could be paid from income from other trades not related to agriculture.
- The cash form of the annuity could be claimed in advance.
- Labor obligations were more common in rural areas, while quitrents were more common in cities.
- A peasant on quitrent theoretically had more freedom than on corvee.
End of cash and labor annuity
Despite the active struggle against these remnants of feudalism, corvee and quitrent existed for quite a long time. Some form of rent existed before the beginning of the 19th century. The main reason for this was the economic situation in the country. The spread of feudal power did not allow the economy to develop as needed.
The quitrent, the definition of which is given here in some detail, was associated with a lack of money and forced the peasants to be dependent on wealthier people. After the abolition of serfdom, the destruction of the feudal system and the restructuring of the state's economy took several decades.
Cunning landowners constantly tried to spread corvee as much as possible, which caused discontent among the population. In this confrontation, quitrent and corvee, closely related to each other, existed for a long time.
Serf crisis
In the $18th century. The serf system compensated for the impact of harsh natural conditions on the Russian economy. Until a certain point, traditional agriculture, with the labor of serfs, met the needs of society; an economy built on serf labor helped maintain a good army and navy. At the end of the $18th century. The Russian Empire was a powerful European power.
The acceptance and rethinking of European values and the ideas of the Enlightenment by the elite of Russian society, despite the subsequent reactionary policies, bore fruit and made it possible to think critically about the existing social system in Russia.
Thus, the “enlightened empress” Catherine II curtailed her liberal and humanistic ideas and began an openly reactionary policy towards the end of her reign, having seen what the ideas of the Enlightenment had resulted in.
Note 2
Subsequently, Emperor Alexander I positioned himself as a successor to the liberal ideas of his grandmother Catherine II, but no practical results were achieved. At the same time, a crisis was brewing in the serf system, because she couldn't evolve.
In addition, participation in the Napoleonic wars, especially the Patriotic War of 1812, caused particular damage. The Treasury was devastated, in fact, Russia was on the verge of bankruptcy, and the European territory was devastated.
In addition to these factors, we also note the beginning of the industrial revolution, despite its delay in comparison with other European countries, this process also led to a crisis in the existing socio-economic system.
quitrent
The crisis of the serfdom system was most clearly manifested in those areas where landowners were engaged in commercial grain production. This manifested itself in an increase in the share of lordly plowing and corvee work, while peasant plots, on the contrary, decreased. The explanation is quite simple: landowners-entrepreneurs sought to extract as much profit as possible, i.e. sell as much grain as possible. Thus, commodity-money relations destroyed natural serfdom.
In the $XIX$ century. Almost all landowners refused natural rent, but they actively collected cash rent and constantly increased it. At the same time, the peasants still had to work in corvée labor.
The rent was increased to the maximum, because in those areas where it was high already in the 18th century. its further changes are insignificant. In the regions of non-chernozem soils, the peasants for the most part ($2/3$, and in some places as much as $90$%) lived on quitrents and were engaged in otkhodniki. So, almost the whole country knew the Yaroslavl officers who traded in various small items and haberdashery.
Definition 1
Ofenya is the name of wandering merchants of small goods (haberdashery, manufactured goods, books, popular prints); sold their goods in rural areas. The name “ofenya” refers to people from Central Russia, in particular the Vladimir province.
By increasing the quitrent, the landowners further undermined the serfdom system, because Out of need, peasants became mobile and “free.” Let us note that due to the fall in the value of paper money, the size of the quitrent periodically rose by $5$, $7$ times, which caused legitimate indignation.
Corvee
Thus, in non-black earth regions, landlords benefited from rent. But throughout the country as a whole, the number of corvée peasants grew. So, at the beginning of the $19th century. there were $56$%. In fact, this means that the landowners forced the peasants to give up their jobs in order to increase the marketability of the landed estates.
Many landowners did not comply with the $3 days of corvee law, forcing them to work $5 days a week or more. There were also frequent blatant cases of abandonment of peasants for a month, i.e. the peasant had nothing but a fixed amount of bread per month. Thus, it was reminiscent of a return to the Middle Ages to slaves. These methods did not give the desired results to the landowners, but drove the peasants into unbearable living conditions.
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?
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. Quite in kind, in contrast to corvée, 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 through 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 this case the amount of labor was determined only by the desires and needs of the landowner. But for the nobles who constantly lived in the cities, it was more profitable to receive quitrent.
It was believed that a peasant on quitrent became theoretically freer than on corvee.
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 read the latest news, answer letters from friends, and 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 of Ancient Rus', when taxes were just 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 away not only specific people, but also entire villages for use. A quitrent can be compared to a lease, that is, a nobleman provided another nobleman with his possessions for use. 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 effect, 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 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. For one plot of land, 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 is 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 everything was 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 the consciousness of people, rebuild the economy in a new way and destroy feudalism.