Corvée

Corvée, or corvée labor, is a term used in feudal societies. It is a type of annual tax that is payable as labor by the serf or villein for the monarch, vassal, overlord or lord of the manor. It was used to complete royal projects, to maintain roads, and to provide labor to maintain the feudal estate.

The corvée was abolished in France during the French Revolution, on August 4 1789, along with a number of other feudal privileges accorded to French landlords.

Today the term is also used for other forms of unpaid mandatory labor, such as that imposed by the government of Myanmar on its citizens. Military conscription is another form of corvée labor.