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Excerpt of the Intro (6th printing, 1976)

"The seigneurial regime in France probably originated in the Gallo-Roman period. In the early modern period it became a key support of the social structure (the possession of land being the measure of the dignity of a man) and at the same time was a useful instrument of government in rural areas and an efficient tool in the hands of a centralizing state. The seigneurial reigme ultimately became integrated into the monarchical system. As early as the sixteenth century its use in America was foreseen by those who wished to direct great colonization schemes, but it was not until the establishment of the Company of One Hundred Associates that it began to be applied in a systematic way to the distribution of the land. The One Hundred Associates, who were the seigneurs of New France, sought for persons of rank who would collaborate in the work of colonization and by way of encouragement land was granted to them and titles of honour bestowed upon them".

(1976)