Medieval Europe

The Workers

It was the job of the peasants to provide food for all classes of people. They were the biggest group in society. There were a number of different types of peasants these included:

Tenants – these were people who had enough money to buy their freedom from the lord – they paid rent for the use of the lords land (highest class of peasants)

Serfs or villains – they worked for the lord, paid taxes to him, had own strips of land (owned by the lord)

Cottars – did not have strips of land – they had a plot of land in which they built their cottages – worked for other peasants and for the lord of the manor.

Special Jobs

Most villages had a number of people who carried out special jobs.

For example the “bailiff” was in charge of the estate while the Lord was away. It was the bailiff’s job to look after the running of all aspects of the village and farm life.

The “reeve” made sure that everyone did their jobs properly, while the Hayward” acted as the village police officer.

Who were the peasants

About 90 per cent of medieval Europeans were peasants who worked as farmers from childhood onwards.

Peasant farmers were the backbone of medieval society; they produced all the food, and paid most of the taxes.

They lived in villages of about 100 to 300 people, in houses located around the village green or along a pot-holed dirt road.

Villages

Villages were usually located near a stream or river, which provided fresh water and a supply of fish.

The villages and the land around them were called manors.

Every village had a common, which all villagers shared as grazing land for their animals. The village also included: church land, known as the glebe; the lord's hunting forest; and fenced-in meadows where hay was grown.

Where did the Peasants Live?

The peasants lived in one- or two-roomed wooden huts with clay walls, unglazed window holes, dirt floors and thatched roofs.

In winter they shared these lodgings with their animals.

Each house had its own vegetable garden known as a toft.

Life expectancy for peasants was around 40 years of age.

Open field System

Life in medieval Europe was hard and was determined by the four seasons.

The villagers divided the land into three fields. Each year they left one field fallow (without a crop) to allow it to recover its fertility. They used the fallow land to graze cattle, which also provided it with a natural fertilizer.

They rotated the crops so that different nutrients were taken from the soil each year.

The working year comprised a seasonal cycle of planting, growing, harvesting and repair work.

Peasants worked as long as there was daylight. In summer, work started at about 4.30 am and finished at about 7 pm. In winter, work started at about 6.30 am and finished at about 4 pm. Except for holidays, peasants worked a six-day week, with Sunday being a day of prayer and rest.

Peasants