In harvest seasons, all the family members of a serf were mandated to work on the lord's field.Īfter the harvest season, as a reward for the hard work done, the serf was given certain privileges. The lord's as well as the serfs' crops were ready to be harvested. This was especially evident in the harvest season, when The greatest hardship serfs faced was that they always had to put their duties over their personal interests. The rest of week, a serf would spend on individual produce The demesne included fields, as well as forest produce and fish from the streams.Įverything in the land belonged to the lord, and it was the duty of a serf to take care of almost all of them. Harvest crops, dig ditches, repair fences, and often work in the manor house. He could be postman as well as baker." (9) The major duty was to plow his lord's fields (demesne), but he also had to In his book Montaillou, Le Roy Ladurie states that they were "entrusted withĮvery kind of task. This section will elaborate on the duties serfs had in medieval English and French society.įor a portion of the week, a serf was obligated to perform various tasks for his lord. Requesting the virginity of the bride on the first night of marriage (8).Ī serf's duties can be divided into labor and taxes.
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In case of marriage, the lords often called for ius prim©¡ noctis, the first night, as droit de seigneur, the lord's right, Movement, a serf was restricted in marriage, vocational change, and even simple property disposal all of these activities required the permission of the lord Movement: he could make no permanent moves out of his village and allotted plot of land without the permission of his lord. One of the major freedoms that serfs were unable to enjoy was the freedom of Of serfdom was the lack of many individual freedom enjoyed by the freemen. Provided his own food and clothing from his own productive efforts (6).Īfter understanding the difference between serfs and slaves, the next step to take is to understand the difference between serfs and freemen. As a serf was more of a part of the land than the lord¡¯s property (for instance, slaves), the lords had no obligation to sustain his life a serf A vast majority of serfs in medieval Europe sustained their lives by cultivating a plot of land that Land and could be transferred along with that land to a new lord. Latin name "coloni." The term only came to change into its modern form as slavery slowly disappeared and slaves were given almost an identical social status to serfs (5).Īn essential feature differentiating serfs from slaves was the reference to a plot of land, which means that serfs, unlike slaves, were bound to his designated plot of The word "serf," in fact, originates from the Latin word "servus," which means "slave." In Late Antiquity and most of the Middle Ages, serfs were called by the Of war, both causing labor shortages (4).īecause serfs can be located between freemen and slaves, it is crucial to understand the difference between serfs and slaves. The system was destabilized by the Black Death and starvation that came as a result That serfs did for them, the lords provided military protection and justice. Serfs were denied the freedom of movement or the freedom to marry without permission of their lord. A serf performed menial service to the lord, mostly in theįorm of labor and tax dues (3). (Lat: registered with the field) to the land of an estate or manor his lord was the owner of the land. Western Europe, serfdom was a hereditary system that tied tenants and their heirs to landlord masters for a lifetime (2). Originating in the 8th and 9th centuries in This paperĬovers the definition of serfdom, the lives they led in the medieval societies, along with their struggles in society to escape from exploitation.Ī serf is an unfree peasant, similar but superior to slavery, associated with feudalism in medieval European societies. The feudal medieval society consisted of three orders: those who pray, those who fight, and those who work. Peasant Revolts in 14th Century England and France II.3 Differentiating "Serfs" and "Freemen"
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II.2 Differentiating "Serfs" and "Slaves" Term Paper, AP European History Class, July 2008
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Serfs in Medieval European Society : England and France WHKMLA, Students' Papers, 12th Wave Index Page WHKMLA : Serfs in Medieval European Society : England and France