Farmers in the Feudal System
“Churches know more about poverty than any government will ever know, because we're dealing with the poor every day”- Rick Warren (“Matching Quotes”). Farmers in the Middle Ages never had life easy, but Feudalism gave the serfs everything they needed, even if they returned the favor in strenuous work. Feudalism is a system used in the Middle Ages to place each social class into a specific job they will keep the rest of their life. Serfs were the lowest class of the Feudal System and they gave everyone crops, taxes, and meat, which allowed the population to survive. Feudalism, although now seen as not ideal, was an evidentially bright plan in the Middle Ages, giving everyone in every class protection from invasion,
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Serfs had multiple promises made in order to keep the flow of feudalism running smoothly. The laborers worked on the King’s land and gave him food in return for their property (Macdonald 17). The workers were required to give a payment to be able to live on the king’s land. Just about everything Serfs did, they had to pay a tax to do (“Social Classes, Life, and Plague”). The workers were required to pay a certain fee to the lord be able to do their daily job- provide for the lord. They worked for the lord and could only move if they had permission from them (Shuter 18). They were tied to land and couldn’t leave unless they were granted permission to. They were bound to their farm and had no legal way to move otherwise. Serfs had to pay a fine if they didn’t work or pay rent (Macdonald 31). They had strict rules that said that if they don’t give enough food or money, the have to pay an even bigger amount, a fine. Knights were given fiefs, or pieces of land in return for fighting for the lands. The Knights promised loyalty and protection to the lord and serfs (Nardo 6). They fought for them against multiple fighters that tried to attack them. They also gave loyalty to the king and had to protect his land. They are given a fief which is a term for a gift/pay (Nardo 6). Knights were given a fief to fight, which was a land grant as a gift. To get land you had to pay homage, or show promise. (Macdonald 31). You had to be a loyal citizen to the king if you wanted to get land. There were no rebels allowed. Feudalism had multiple rules and laws that needed to be followed, or else the system would not
Although the feudal system presented a mutually beneficial relationship at first, over time many burdens were placed on the vassals. A serf was bound to the land, thus resulting in a fixed income. Since he was unable to move to another lord, he was reliant on only what was originally agreed upon to provide monetary support. [Support was generally in kind, or in labor.] With no “right” to adjust the support needed for survival, the serf and his family experiences tremendous hardships.
Serfs grew the food and made the things that everyone required, and without them, the system would collapse. Manorialism was also important to it as a source of order and economy. In this structure, feudalism was the main political land based system of the Middle Ages. And while the practice of it mostly disappeared with the Middle Ages, it is still an imprinted government in
During the middle ages the lack of protection and a stable government after the Fall of Rome created the need for a new political system. Feudalism was the political system that emerged and shaped the lives of people socially and politically. Manors were small communities that were made up of a castle, church, village, and land for farming. The structured society provided a place and responsibility for everyone. The feudal obligations showed that in exchange for one thing they would be provided with something else. Serfs and peasants would work and produce goods for the rest of the manor and in return had their land and promised protection. The vassals would need to obtain land from the Lord and in return would provide the Lord with military service, loyalty, and ransom if asked for (Doc. 4). To make clear the vassal’s specific allegiance to their lord whom they owed in for exchange for their fief they would take the Homage Oath (Doc. 2). This interdependent system required everyone to do their part and it created social classes that they were born into. Their daily lives were centered on the manor and that was how it stayed until towns began to
Document 1) A: The Feudalism provided protection and military services for their families. Nobles agreed to give their loyalty to the king. As the peasants worked the land for the knights and nobles and which they gave to them was protection and a portion of the harvest to feed their families. Document 2)
Feudalism was a political, economic and social system that exchanged land and loyalty in return for protection. It was a commerce of protection and goods, as seen in the feudal system diagram, there are different types of social classes that have arrows describing what they are trading and to whom they are trading (Document 4). In the late ninth century, peasants gave food and service to the knights in exchange for protection. The knights gave military service in exchange for shelter and defense. The lords gave military aid while the king gives them fief and peasants etc.
During the Middle Ages social class much different than modern day. In a feudal society “nobles were granted the use of land that legally belonged to the king,” (Doc. 1). The nobles, in return, would give the lord loyalty and military services (Doc. 1). As peasants or serfs worked for nobles and knights they received protection and a portion of the harvest to feed their families (Doc. 1).
In manorial villages the lords of the land would have vassals and serfs. A vassal was a voluntary obligation taken so the vassal would be cared for. Although once one became a vassal this obligation would follow through all the generations of the family. Serfs on the other hand
The Middle Ages, or Dark Ages, of the 15th century, established a policy regarding the practice of agriculture that later became known as feudalism. The monarchy bestowed vast tracts of land and an ennobling title to individuals who were tasked with keeping a functioning economy in their lands and maintaining a private militia for the protection of the realm and fiefdom they owned. These aristocrats allocated parcels of land to the serfs, or peasants, in exchange for complete rustic servitude and the privilege being allowed to live on that lord's land. Any crops or animals that were cultivated belonged to the realm and peasants were only permitted to keep a meager portion of their efforts. This archaic practice, established during the era
Feudalism provided security of the people of the Medieval Europe by working for nobles and knights to get protection in return. Also, “the peasants or serfs worked the land for the knights and nobles and in return they received protection and a portion of the harvest to feed to their families” (Doc. 1). This states that when serfs worked for nobles and knights, they
Feudalism was a contrasting system dealing with political and military relationships existing among members of the higher social class, Kings, Lords and other owners of large lands in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. The Feudal system started by the granting of fiefs, chiefly in the form of land and labor, in return the lord would receive political and
Before they could wield swords and fight battles they must start their training early in boyhood. First starting to care for horses and play the harp. Next they became a Paige. They learn archery skills and improve on other skills. Then a Squire who finally practice sword play and improve on horse riding. Last after being dubbed a knight by their king or queen they become a knight. They can now lead armies into battle and joust for the king, queen, lords, ladies, and rich nobles. They had many weapons including a battle ax, a lance, a crossbow, a longbow, a shield a sword and many more interesting weapons. There were also many pieces that made up their armor, but the biggest thing was chain mail. It was a brilliant invention that stopped warriors from getting stabbed but they could still feel the momentum of the blow. A few knights belonged to the king, but mostly the knights and armies belonged to the lords and ladies. Once they find out the king is out numbered by thousands they decide to rebuttal throwing the whole feudal system
Serfs created a steady food supply for their Manor.Peasants mostly farmed wheat and rye because that was a main source of food for people in the middle ages. They made wheat by scattering grain seeds in plowed soil then when it was golden, they collected it. They used the stems for multiple things and they put the grains in a granary to let it dry and protect it from mice. After it dried, it was beaten with wooden sticks to get the kernels out (Cels 11). This supplied villages with wheat and rye and created a lot of food to eat.Women serfs often had the job to carry the grain in bags to the lord's mill. Peasants made the grain into flour by putting it in between 2 flat stones in the lords mill.The wind powered the mill to make the dough. Once the grain became flower the peasants took it back but had to pay a fee in flour to the lord. If a peasant were to make there own dough in a hand powered mill, they would be fined (Cels 14). Peasants sometimes brought the dough or flour to the manor to make bread to sell. Same as the mill, they had to give the lord some of their bread. They could also be fined if they were caught baking bread at their house (Cels 14).This also created a steady food supply.
Feudalism was the system used in Europe during the late middle ages. The economic part of feudalism was centered on the lord's estate or manor. A lord's manor consisted of a peasant village, a church, farm land, a mill and the lord's castle. Feudalism was split in society levels. Kings would be on top with the most power, then upper lords followed by lesser lords, underneath the lesser lords were the knights, and then the serfs being the lowest social class.
Life as a serf or peasant was not easy. Serfs were bound to their lord's land and required to do services for him. Although they could not be sold like slaves, they had no freedom (Ellis and Esler 219-244). Peasants farmed for the goods that the lord and his manor needed. They went through difficult hardship because of this. Peasants were heavily taxed and had to provide for themselves the goods that they needed (“The Middle Ages”). According to the medieval law, the peasants were not considered to 'belong to' themselves (“The Middle Ages”). Although serfs were peasants and had relatively the same duties and similar rights, what differentiated a peasant from a serf was that a peasant was not bound to the land (“The Middle Ages”). Peasants had no schooling and no knowledge of the outside world (Ellis and Esler 219-244). They rarely traveled more than a couple miles outside of their villages. All members of a peasant family, including children, tended crops, farmed, and did some sort of work to help out (Ellis and Esler 224). Very few peasants lived past the age of 35 because of hunger in the winter and the easy development and transmission of disease (Ellis and Esler 224).
The feudal system of the time operated on the premise of peasants or serfs, and thanes, or lords. The lords owned the land, and the peasants worked on it. In turn, they received the protection