Mortmain, the serfdom of abbeys

The Haute-Joux conquest started here in the 5th century. During the 15th century, a type of serfdom imposed by the very powerful Saint-Claude abbey forced families to stay under the same roof: this was called mortmain.
In a certain way, mortmain was the start of craftsmanship at home, as to leave for work in the city was to risk losing family property.