Life and Obligations of Settlers in New France

The Seigneurial System

Society was structured around the seigneurial system. The Crown granted large land tracts (seigneuries) to seigneurs (lords), who subdivided them for habitants (tenant farmers).

• Seigneur Rights: Collect rent (cens et rentes), dues, and taxes; dispense local justice; appoint officials.
• Habitant Obligations: Pay annual rent; perform corvée (mandatory labor, usually a few days/year on the seigneur's land); grind grain at the seigneur's mill (banalité).

Social and Civic Duties

• Loyalty to the French Crown and the Catholic Church.
• Participation in militia duty for colony defense.

Economic Responsibilities

• Subsistence farming to feed the family and surplus for market.
• Failure to meet obligations (rent, corvée) could result in fines or imprisonment.

This system created a stable, hierarchical rural society distinct from the plantation models further south.