Legal Definition and Related Resources of Serf
Meaning of Serf
In feudal law. A term applied to a class of persons who were bound to perform very onerous duties towards others. Poth. des Personnes, pt. 1, tit. 1, a. 6, § 4. There is this essential difference between a “serf” and a “slave:” The serf was bound simply to labor on the soil where he was born, without any right to go elsewhere without the consent of his lord, but he was free to act as he pleased in his daily action; the slave, on the contrary, is the property of his master, who may require him to act as he pleases in every respect, and who may sell him as a chattel. Lepage, c. 3, art. 2, §2.
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| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Serf in the Dictionary | Serf in our legal dictionaries | Browse the Legal Thesaurus | Find synonyms and related words of Serf |
| Legal Maxims | Maxims are established principles that jurists use as interpretive tools, invoked more frequently in international law |
| Legal Answers (Q&A) | A community-driven knowledge creation process, of enduring value to a broad audience |
| Related topics | Serf in the World Encyclopedia of Law |
Notice
This definition of Serf is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This entry needs to be proofread.
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| https://legaldictionary.lawin.org/serf/ | The URI of Serf (more about URIs) |
Definition of Serf
The Canada social science dictionary [1] provides the following meaning of Serf: An unfree status associated with agrarian economies dominated by feudal social relationships. Serfs were labourers bound to the land and to service to a landlord but differing from slaves in that they possessed security of the person, the right to personal property and customary rights to use land and other resources. Serfdom has occurred in many world societies including England, France, Russia, China and Japan. While serfdom was first extinguished in England in the 16th century it persisted in Russia until the general emancipation ordered by Tsar Alexander 11 in 1861. A modified form of serfdom, based on indentured or bonded labour, is still widespread in world societies. See: FEUDALISM in this legal dictionary and in the world encyclopedia of law.
Serf: Resources
Notes and References
- Drislane, R., & Parkinson, G. (2016). (Concept of) Serf. Online dictionary of the social sciences. Open University of Canada
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