Zusammenfassung der Ressource
landholding systems and habitants in France and New France
- seigneurial system
- France granted estates to Seigneurs
- did not own it and could be taken if duties not fullfiled
- with promise to find settlers
- Seigneurs granted land to Censitaires who then pd dues
- not all landholders were noble or rich
- did not include military committment
- agreements were written in notarized contracts
- could hunt
- social distinctions somewhat blunted
- larger narrow strip farms stretching along the St. Lawrence
- seigneurs made money through military, trade and government
- habitant had security of tenure as long as he pd rent
- could not be evicted by seigneur
- fixed rent
- nourishing diet
- feudal system
- King grants land to Nobles
- peasants rented plots or pd through working their Nobles land 3x/week
- nobles owned land
- Nobles had military committment
- looser agreements
- could not hunt
- distinct social distinctions
- small plots on Nobles land in a circular formation
- nobles could not trade, were not pd for military duties and earned their money through rent
- serf had security of tenure if duties fulfilled
- military
- work on nobles land
- rent not fixed and serfs pd high
- poor diet
- habitants
- Economy
- could clear two arpants of land
- peasant houses were, whitewashed and topped by thatch made of squared lgs
- ground floor had 2-3 rooms
- peasant farm 10x the size of France
- most not cleared
- poor farming practices depleted soil producing poorer crops quickly
- had home kitchen garden
- learned to subdivide property not land
- same as Europe
- family worked together to ensure collective survival
- marriage was a business partnership where women brought a dowery
- Family/marriage
- Canadian women married at a younger age
- Canadian men remarried in 2 years and women in 3
- Coureurs de Bois often married FN women
- some married without clergy or lived common law
- same as Europe
- sex for procreation
- large families (7-8)
- children born and taught at home
- weddings had Christian and Pagen customs
- inter Faith marriages frowned upon
- homosexuality proscribed
- death was common
- 1 in 4 children died in first year and childhood diseases killed many before adolescence
- women commonly died in childbirth
- corporal punishment used on children
- most families experienced a reasonable level of social harmony due to the need for cooperation for survival
- childrearing became less corporal due to FN influence and change in church teachings
- Family heirarchy (same as Europe)
- children belonged to father and could not marry without consent
until reached age 25 for daughters and 30 for sons
- controlled wife's possessions