Definition
A system of required unpaid labor that feudal peasants had to perform for their lord, usually for a certain number of days per year.
Etymology
From Old French 'corvée,' derived from Latin 'corbata' (related to 'corvus,' crow). The term emerged in medieval English to describe the feudal obligation, especially in France and England.
Kelly Says
Corvée laws were so brutal that they actually sparked peasant rebellions—the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 in England was partly about refusing excessive corvée demands, showing how a single unfair labor system can topple kingdoms.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
መ obbligatori ሥራ
me ob-li-go-to-ri s-ra
ARالعربية
خدمة قسري
khidma qasri
BNবাংলা
অবশ্যক কাজ
obshok kaj
CACatalà
servei obligatori
ser-vei o-bli-ga-to-ri
CSČeština
robotní povinnost
ro-bot-ni po-vi-nost
DADansk
tvangsarbejde
tvang-sar-bejd-e
DEDeutsch
Fronarbeit
fron-ar-ba-it
ELΕλληνικά
Οαραγια ηραςια
yar-a-ghi tra-si-ya
FAفارسی
کار اجباری
kaar ejbari
FISuomi
pakkotila
pak-ko-ti-la
FRFrançais
corvée
kor-vay
HEעברית
עבודה חובה
avoda hava
HUMagyar
kötelezó munka
ko-te-le-zo mun-ka
IDBahasa Indonesia
kerja paksa
ker-ja pak-sa
ITItaliano
corvée
kor-veh-eh
KMKM
កម្មបានប្រើប្រាស់
kam baan pra-as
MRMR
कार्यभार
kar-ya-bha-ar
MSBahasa Melayu
kerja paksaan
ker-ja pak-saan
MYမြန်မာ
လူမျိုးစုံအလုပ်
lu myo-son a-lup
NLNederlands
dwangarbeid
dwang-ar-beid
NONorsk
tvangsarbeid
tvang-sar-bei-d
PLPolski
praca przymusowa
pra-ka przy-mu-so-wa
PTPortuguês
corvée
kor-veh
RORomână
măsura obligatorie
me-zu-ra ob-li-go-to-rie
RUРусский
принудительный труд
prinuditelnyy trud
SVSvenska
tvångsarbete
tvång-sar-be-te
SWKiswahili
kazi ya kula
ka-zi ya ku-la
TAதமிழ்
துண்டாக்கப்பட்ட வேலை
tundaakkatta vetlai
TEతెలుగు
బలవంతపు పని
balavanta pu pani
THไทย
แรงงานบังคับ
raeng ngan bang kap
TLTL
pwersahang pagtatrabaho
per-sahang pag-ta-tra-ba-ho
UKУкраїнська
примусовий труд
primusovyj trud
URاردو
مجبوری کام
majboori kaam
VITiếng Việt
lao động cưỡng bức
lao dong cuong buc
YOYO
iṣẹ́ ẹ̀bọ́
i-she eh-bo
ZH中文
强迫劳动
qiáng pò láodòng
ZUZU
umsebenzi omusa
um-se-ben-zi o-mu-sa
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Corvée (medieval labor tax) was historically enforced on peasants, with women's domestic corvée (spinning, water-hauling, textile work) systematically uncompensated and unrecognized as 'real' work compared to male labor conscription.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'corvée' in historical context neutrally, but acknowledge when describing labor systems that women's unpaid obligations were distinct, more extensive, and often rendered invisible in economic records.
Inclusive Alternatives
["compulsory labor","labor obligation","feudal obligation"]
Empowerment Note
Feminist economic historians documented how corvée analysis traditionally ignored women's forced domestic service; recognizing gendered corvée reveals how feudal systems extracted labor from women without formal acknowledgment.