preview

Serfs In The Middle Ages Essay

Decent Essays
Open Document

There were 3 orders that showed the division of society in the High Middle Ages, those who pray, fight, and work. Serfs were the ones who worked. Medieval theologians divided everyone who worked on the land into the work category. Throughout the High Middle Ages, there were many different levels of peasants. They ranged from slaves to rich farmers. The number of slaves that worked on the land declined in the High Middle Ages. The slaves that remained would live with the wealthier peasant families, or the lords. The peasants who were more rural in Western Europe were known as serfs.

The distinction between the serfs and slaves have not always been clear. Serfs lacked freedom. They were to follow orders from one person, the lord, who owned the land that they worked. Unlike slaves, serfs couldn’t be bought or sold between people. It was possible for serfs to acquire their freedom as well. The development of a money economy helped serfs attain their freedom. By saving enough money, the serfs were able to pay the lord they worked for to get freedom.

Serfs became tied to the land they worked on when Kings and Counts gave aristocratic families control over land. For this land, the aristocratic families had to pledge their loyal services. Having …show more content…

They were required to work on the land 3 days out of the week, with the exception of planting and harvesting season. They were also required to pay fees on common occurrences. If the serfs got married or died, they were forced to pay a fee. In the event of the death of a serf, the son, or heir, had to pay an inheritance fee in order to receive their inheritance. In the article State and Society in the High Middle Ages, it states that “concentrating peasants in villages make it easier for nobles to collect rents and ‘dues’ that were their rights as ‘lords’.” Serfdom was also a hereditary condition, meaning that the serfs were born a serf, and died as a

Get Access