1. In ancient Rome and medieval times, the compulsory requisitioning of private property or labor by the state or military authorities.
Usage: historical; archaic
2. A system of forced labor or service imposed on subjects or conquered peoples.
Usage: historical; archaic

Examples

• The Roman military relied on angaria to commandeer horses and supplies from provincial towns.
• Medieval rulers used angaria to conscript peasants for road construction and fortification work.
• Under the system of angaria, citizens had no legal right to refuse the state's demands for their property.
• Angaria was a common practice in the Byzantine Empire for maintaining military readiness.
• The burden of angaria fell most heavily on rural populations who could least afford the loss.