in medieval France, the seigneurial requisition of a fixed portion, varying from one-twentieth to one-fourth, of the harvest. It was paid in grain, grapes, flax, and other produce. Lands held by enserfed peasants were subject to this requisition. During the French Revolution, decrees of Aug. 4 to 11, 1789, Mar. 15, 1790, and May 3, 1790, provided for the discontinuance of the requisition with compensation to the landowners. Under the Jacobin dictatorship, however, a decree of July 17, 1793, abolished the champan without compensation.