Labourer

…These peasants strengthened their rights to the land they had received from their lords, becoming de facto landowners, and not only did they support their households with the products of their land, but as their burdens were reduced and their productivity developed, they were gradually able to sell their surplus products on the market, and became commodity producers selling agricultural products and home-industrial products (such as woolen fabrics). In this way, the independent self-employed peasants that emerged from the disintegration of feudal society were called yeomen in England and laboreurs in France, and it is said that capitalism was formed within rural areas as they further grew as commodity producers and broke down into the two extremes of rich and poor. In this way, the independent self-employed peasants became the basis for the formation of capitalism, and so it is said that they gave birth to capitalism and then disintegrated after the 18th century. …

*Some terminology explanations that mention "laboureur" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…これらの農民は，領主から保有している土地に対する自己の権利を強化して事実上の土地所有農民になるとともに，その土地からの生産物で家計を維持するのみならず，負担の軽減と生産力の発展とによってしだいに剰余生産物を市場で販売しうるようになり，農産物や家内工業製品(毛織物など)を販売する商品生産者になっていった。こうして封建社会の解体の中から生まれた独立自営農民は，イギリスではヨーマンyeoman，フランスではラブルールlaboureurなどと呼ばれ，彼らがさらに商品生産者として成長し，かつ貧富の両極に分解することを通じて，農村内部で資本主義が形成されていったといわれる。このように独立自営農民は資本主義形成の母体になったから，資本主義を生み出すとともに18世紀以降に解体したとされる。…

※「laboureur」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報