medievalists.net/2026/11/the-medieval-villagers-who-fought-for-their-freedom-for-47-years The Medieval Villagers Who Fought for Their Freedom for 47 Years
In 1179, residents of Rosny-sous-Bois began a 47-year legal struggle against the Abbey of St. Genevieve over whether they were serfs. After appeals to French kings and medieval popes failed, the villagers agreed in 1246 to pay the monastery an annual sum to end its lordship.
