Modern people have the vaguest idea of how peasants lived in the Middle Ages. This is not surprising, because life and customs in the villages have changed a lot over these centuries.
The emergence of feudal dependence
The term “Middle Ages” is most applicable to because it was here that all those phenomena that are strongly associated with ideas about the Middle Ages took place. These are castles, knights and much more. The peasants had their own place in this society, which remained virtually unchanged for several centuries.
At the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries. in the Frankish state (it united France, Germany and most of Italy) there was a revolution in relations around land ownership. A feudal system emerged, which was the basis of medieval society.
Kings (owners supreme power) relied on the support of the army. For their service, those close to the monarch received large amounts of land. Over time, a whole class of wealthy feudal lords appeared who had huge territories within the state. The peasants who lived on these lands became their property.
The meaning of the church
Another major owner of the land was the church. Monastic plots could cover many square kilometers. How did peasants live in the Middle Ages on such lands? They received a small personal allotment, and in exchange for it they had to work certain number days on the owner's premises. It was economic coercion. It affected almost everything European countries except Scandinavia.
The church was playing big role in the enslavement and dispossession of village residents. The life of peasants was easily regulated by spiritual authorities. Commoners were instilled with the idea that resigned work for the church or the transfer of land to it would later affect what would happen to a person after death in heaven.
Impoverishment of the peasants
The existing feudal land tenure ruined the peasants, almost all of them lived in noticeable poverty. This was due to several phenomena. Due to regular conscription and working for the feudal lord, the peasants were cut off from own land and had practically no time to deal with it. In addition, a variety of taxes from the state fell on their shoulders. Medieval society was based on unfair prejudices. For example, peasants were subject to the highest court fines for misdemeanors and violations of laws.
The villagers were deprived of their own land, but were never driven from it. It was natural farming that existed then the only way survive and earn. Therefore, the feudal lords offered landless peasants to take land from them in exchange for numerous obligations, which are described above.
precarious
The main mechanism of the emergence of the European was precarity. This was the name of the agreement that was concluded between the feudal lord and the poor landless peasant. In exchange for owning an allotment, the plowman was obliged to either pay quitrents or perform regular corvée work. and its inhabitants were often entirely bound to the feudal lord by a contract of precaria (literally, "transferred by request"). Use could be given for several years or even for life.
If at first the peasant found himself only in land dependence on the feudal lord or the church, then over time, due to impoverishment, he also lost his personal freedom. This process of enslavement was the result of severe economic situation, which the medieval village and its inhabitants experienced.
The power of large landowners
A poor man who was unable to pay the entire debt to the feudal lord fell into bondage to the creditor and actually turned into a slave. In general, this led to large land holdings absorbing small ones. This process was also facilitated by the growth political influence feudal lords Thanks to high concentration resources, they became independent from the king and could do whatever they wanted on their land, regardless of the laws. The more the middle peasants became dependent on the feudal lords, the more the power of the latter grew.
The way peasants lived in the Middle Ages often also depended on justice. This type of power also ended up in the hands of feudal lords (on their land). The king could declare the immunity of a particularly influential duke, so as not to enter into conflict with him. Privileged feudal lords could, without regard to central government judge their peasants (in other words, their property).
Immunity also gave the right to a major owner to personally collect all monetary receipts going to the crown treasury (court fines, taxes and other levies). The feudal lord also became the leader of the militia of peasants and soldiers, which gathered during the war.
The immunity granted by the king was only a formalization of the system of which feudal land tenure was a part. Large property owners held their privileges long before receiving permission from the king. Immunity only gave legitimacy to the order under which the peasants lived.
Patrimony
Before the revolution in land relations took place, the main economic unit Western Europe there was a rural community. They were also called stamps. The communities lived freely, but at the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries they became a thing of the past. In their place came the estates of large feudal lords, to whom serf communities were subordinate.
They could be very different in their structure, depending on the region. For example, in the north of France large fiefdoms were common, which included several villages. In the southern provinces of the general Frankish state medieval society in the village they lived in small estates, which could be limited to a dozen households. This division into European regions was preserved and existed until the abandonment feudal system.
Patrimony structure
The classic estate was divided into two parts. The first of these was the master's domain, where peasants worked in strict certain days while serving his duty. The second part included the households of rural residents, because of which they became dependent on the feudal lord.
The labor of peasants was also necessarily used in the manor's estate, which, as a rule, was the center of the estate and the master's allotment. It included a house and a yard, on which there were various outbuildings, vegetable gardens, orchards, and vineyards (if the climate permitted). The master's artisans also worked here, without whom the landowner also could not do. The estate also often had mills and a church. All this was considered the property of the feudal lord. What peasants owned in the Middle Ages was located on their plots, which could be located interspersed with the landowner's plots.
Dependent rural workers had to work on the feudal lord's plots using their own equipment, and also bring their livestock here. Less common were real slaves (this one social layer was much smaller in number).
The arable plots of the peasants were adjacent to each other. They had to use a common area for grazing livestock (this tradition remained with the time of the free community). The life of such a collective was regulated with the help of a village gathering. It was presided over by the headman, who was elected by the feudal lord.
Features of subsistence farming
This was due to the low development of production forces in the village. In addition, in the village there was no division of labor between artisans and peasants, which could have increased its productivity. That is, craft and household work appeared as side effect Agriculture.
Dependent peasants and artisans provided the feudal lord with various clothes, shoes, and necessary equipment. What was produced on the estate was mostly used at the owner's court and rarely became the personal property of the serfs.
Peasant trade
The lack of circulation of goods slowed down trade. Nevertheless, it is incorrect to say that it did not exist at all, and the peasants did not participate in it. There were markets, fairs, and money turnover. However, all this did not in any way affect the life of the village and estate. The peasants had no means to independent existence, and feeble trade could not help them pay off the feudal lords.
With the proceeds from trade, the villagers bought what they could not produce on their own. The feudal lords acquired salt, weapons, and also rare luxury items that merchants from overseas countries could bring. Villagers did not participate in such transactions. That is, trade satisfied only the interests and needs of the narrow elite of society who had extra money.
Peasant protest
The way peasants lived in the Middle Ages depended on the size of the quitrent that was paid to the feudal lord. Most often it was given in kind. It could be grain, flour, beer, wine, poultry, eggs or crafts.
The deprivation of the remaining property caused protest from the peasantry. He could express himself in various forms. For example, villager fled from their oppressors or even organized mass riots. Peasant revolts Each time they suffered defeats due to spontaneity, fragmentation and disorganization. At the same time, even they led to the fact that the feudal lords tried to fix the size of duties in order to stop their growth, as well as increase discontent among the serfs.
Refusal of feudal relations
The history of peasants in the Middle Ages is a constant confrontation with large landowners With with varying success. These relations appeared in Europe on the ruins of ancient society, where classical slavery generally reigned, especially pronounced in the Roman Empire.
The abandonment of the feudal system and the enslavement of peasants occurred in modern times. It was facilitated by economic development (primarily light industry), industrial revolution and the outflow of population to cities. Also, at the turn of the Middle Ages and the Modern Age, humanistic sentiments prevailed in Europe, which put individual freedom at the forefront of everything else.
Living alone is not easy. Therefore, the peasants of one or more neighboring villages united into a community. Everything was decided at the community meeting critical issues, if they did not affect the interests of the lord. The community determined which field to sow with spring crops and which with winter crops. The community managed the land: forest, pasture, haymaking, and fishing. All this, unlike arable land, was not divided between individual families, but was common. The community helped the poor, widows, orphans, and protected those who were offended by some strangers. The community sometimes distributed duties among individual households, which were assigned to the village by its lord. The community often elected its own elder, built a church, maintained a priest, monitored the condition of roads and generally maintained order on its lands. Village holidays were also organized mostly at the expense of the community. The wedding or funeral of one of the peasants was an event in which all community members participated. The worst punishment for the offender is expulsion from the community. Such a person, an outcast, was deprived of all rights and did not enjoy anyone’s protection. His fate was almost always sad.
New crop rotationAround the Carolingian era agriculture an innovation spread that significantly increased grain yields. It was a three-field.
All arable land was divided into three fields of equal size. One was sown with spring crops, the other with winter crops, and the third was left fallow to rest. On next year The first field was left fallow, the second was used for winter crops, and the third for spring crops. This circle was repeated from year to year, and the land was less depleted under such a system. In addition, fertilizers began to be used more. Each owner had his own strip of land in each of the three fields. The lands of the lord and the church were also located interstriated. They also had to obey the decisions of the community meeting: for example, how to use this or that field this year, when they can let livestock out to graze on stubble, etc.
VillageAt first, the villages were very small - rarely could they count a dozen households. Over time, however, they began to grow - the population in Europe gradually increased. But there were also severe disasters - wars, crop failures and epidemics - when dozens of villages were empty. The yield was not very high, and, as a rule, it was not possible to create large reserves, so two or three lean years in a row could cause terrible hunger. Medieval chronicles are full of stories about these severe disasters. It is worth recalling that before the discovery of America, European peasants did not yet know corn, sunflowers, tomatoes and, most importantly, potatoes. Most modern varieties of vegetables and fruits were not known then. But the fruits of beech and oak were valued: beech nuts and acorns for a long time were the main food for pigs, which were driven out to graze in oak forests and beech groves.
IN early middle ages everywhere the main draft force was oxen. They are unpretentious, hardy, and in old age can be used for meat. But then one thing was done technical invention, the importance of which is difficult to overestimate. European peasants invented... the clamp.
A horse in Europe at that time was a relatively rare and expensive animal. It was used by the nobility for riding. And when the horse was harnessed, for example, to a plow, it pulled it poorly. The problem was in the harness: the straps wrapped around her chest and prevented her from breathing, the horse quickly became exhausted and could not pull a plow or a loaded cart. The collar transferred all the weight from the chest to the horse’s neck. Thanks to this, its use as draft power has become more effective. In addition, a horse is tougher than a bull and plows a field faster. But there were also disadvantages: horse meat was not eaten in Europe. The horse itself required more feed than a bull. This led to the need to expand oat crops. From the IX-X centuries. horses began to be shoed almost everywhere. Technical innovations: the collar and horseshoe made it possible to use the horse more widely on the farm.
Peasants not only worked the land. The village has always had its own craftsmen. These are primarily blacksmiths and millers.
Fellow villagers treated people of these professions with great respect and were even afraid of them. Many suspected that the blacksmith, who “tames” fire and iron, like the miller, who knows how to handle complex tools, knows evil spirits. It is not for nothing that blacksmiths and millers are frequent heroes fairy tales, terrible legends...
Mills were mainly water-powered; windmills appeared around the 13th century.
Of course, in every village there were pottery experts. Even where the potter's wheel was forgotten during the era of the Great Migration, it began to be used again starting around the 7th century. Everywhere women were engaged in weaving, using more or less perfect looms. In the villages, iron was smelted as needed and dyes were made from plants.
Natural economyEverything that was needed on the farm was produced here. Trade was poorly developed, because not enough was produced to allow the excess to be sent for sale. And to whom? To the neighboring village, where they do the same thing? Accordingly, money didn’t mean that much in life medieval peasant. He did almost everything he needed himself or bartered for it. And let the lords buy expensive fabrics brought by merchants from the East, jewelry or incense. Why are they in a peasant's house?
This state of the economy, when almost everything necessary is produced right there, on the spot, and not bought, is called a subsistence economy. Subsistence farming dominated Europe in the first centuries of the Middle Ages.
This does not mean, however, that ordinary peasants did not buy or sell anything at all. For example, salt. It was evaporated in relatively few places, from where it was then transported throughout Europe. Salt in the Middle Ages was used more widely than now, since it was used for the preparation of perishable products. In addition, the peasants ate mainly floury porridges, which were completely tasteless without salt.
In addition to cereals, the usual food in the village was cheeses, eggs, naturally, fruits and vegetables (legumes, turnips and onions). In the north of Europe, those who were richer enjoyed butter, in the south - olive oil. In coastal villages, of course, the main food was fish. Sugar was essentially a luxury item. But cheap wine was widely available. True, they did not know how to store it for a long time; it quickly turned sour. From different types the grains were used to brew beer everywhere, and apples were used to make cider. Peasants, as a rule, allowed themselves meat only according to holidays. The table could be diversified by hunting and fishing.
HousingOn larger area In Europe, a peasant house was built of wood, but in the south, where this material was not enough, it was more often made of stone. Wooden houses They were covered with straw, which was suitable for feeding livestock in hungry winters. The open hearth slowly gave way to a stove. Small windows were closed with wooden shutters and covered with bubble wrap or leather. Glass was used only in churches, among lords and the city's rich. Instead of a chimney, there was often a hole in the ceiling, and when they burned, smoke filled the room. During the cold season, often both the peasant’s family and his livestock lived nearby - in the same hut.
In villages they usually got married early: the marriageable age for girls was often considered 12 years, for boys - 14-15 years. Many children were born, but even in wealthy families, not all lived to adulthood.
From “Five Books of Stories of My Time” by monk Raoul Glaber about the famine of 1027-1030.This famine appeared - in vengeance for sins - for the first time in the East. Having depopulated Greece, he went to Italy, spread from there throughout Gaul, and spread to all the peoples of England. And the entire human race languished due to the lack of food: rich and wealthy people wasted away from hunger no worse than the poor... If someone found something edible to sell, he could ask for any price - and would get as much as he wanted... .
When they had eaten all the livestock and poultry and hunger began to oppress the people more strongly, they began to devour carrion and other unheard-of things. To avoid impending death, some dug up forest roots and algae. But everything was in vain, for there is no refuge against the wrath of God except Himself. It is terrible to tell the extent to which the fall of the human race has reached.
Alas! Woe is me! Something that had rarely been heard of before was prompted by frenzied hunger: people devoured the flesh of people. Those who were stronger attacked the travelers, divided them into parts, roasted them on fire, and devoured them. Many, driven by hunger, moved from place to place. They were taken in for the night, strangled at night, and their owners used them for food. Some, showing the children an apple or an egg and taking them to a secluded place, killed and devoured them. In many places, bodies dug out of the ground were also used to satisfy hunger... Eating human meat seemed so common that someone brought it boiled to the market in Tournus, like some kind of beef. He was captured, he did not deny his crime. He was tied up and burned at the stake. The meat, buried in the ground, was dug up by someone else at night and eaten. He was also burned.
Then in these places they began to try something that no one had ever heard of before. Many people pulled out white land like clay, and from this mixture they baked bread for themselves in order to at least save themselves from starvation. This was their last hope for salvation, but it turned out to be in vain. For their faces grew pale and thin; For most, the skin became swollen and tight. The very voice of these people became so weak that it resembled the squeak of a dying bird.
And then the wolves, attracted by the corpses that remained unburied due to the many dead, began to make people their prey, which had not happened for a long time. And since it was impossible, as we said, due to the large number, to bury each dead person separately, in some places God-fearing people dug holes, and the people called them “dumps.” In these pits, 500 and even more corpses were buried at once, as many as were included. And the corpses were dumped there without any order, half naked, without shrouds. Even road intersections and fields devoid of stubble were turned into cemeteries...
This terrible famine raged throughout the entire earth, to the extent of human sins, for three whole years. All the church treasures were wasted on the needs of the poor, all the contributions originally intended, according to the charters, for this cause were exhausted.
People exhausted by prolonged hunger, if they managed to eat, swelled and immediately died. Others, touching the food with their hands and trying to bring it to their mouths, fell exhausted, unable to fulfill their desire.
From the poem “The Peasant Helmbrecht” by Werner Sadovnik (13th century)The poem tells how Helmbrecht, the son of a meyer (i.e., a peasant), decided to become a knight and what came of it. The following is an excerpt from the poem in which Helmbrecht's father tries to reason with his son.
I'm going to the court. I thank my sister, I thank you for help mother, I will remember them well. Now buy for me, Dear Father, a horse. With annoyance, Meyer said sternly: Although you ask too much from a patient father, I will buy you a stallion. Your horse will take any barrier, He will gallop at a trot and into the quarry, Without getting tired, he will carry You to the castle gates. I’ll buy a horse without excuses, as long as it’s not expensive. But don't leave your father's shelter. The custom at court is harsh, It is only for knightly children, familiar from childhood. Now, if you followed the rogue, And, measuring our strength with each other, We would plow our wedge, You would be happier, my son. And, without wasting any energy, I would honestly live to the grave. I always respected loyalty, I did not offend anyone, I paid my tithes regularly, and I bequeath the same to my son. Without hating, without enmity, I lived and I await death peacefully. - Oh, shut up, dear father, it’s useless for us to argue with you. I don’t want to hide in a hole, but to know what it smells like at court. I won’t rip out my guts and carry sacks on my back, load manure with a shovel and haul it away. cartload, May God punish me, I will not grind grain. After all, this is in no way appropriate for My curls, My dandy outfits, My silk doves On that hat embroidered by a noble maiden. No, I will not help You sow or plow. - Stay, son - father in response, “I know, Ruprecht, our neighbor, is destined for a daughter to be your bride.” He agrees, and I am not averse to giving her sheep, cows, up to nine heads of three-year-olds and young animals in total. And at court, for sure, Son, you will starve, fall asleep on a hard bed. He remains out of work, Who rebels for his lot, And your lot is the peasant's plow, Don't let him out of your hands. Enough of the nobility without you! Not loving your class, You are only sinning in vain, This is a bad profit. I swear that true knowledge can only ridicule You. And the son repeats with bullish tenacity: I will get used to the knightly custom No worse than the noble chick that grew up in the upper rooms of the palace. When they see my hat and an armful of golden curls, they will believe that they did not know the plow, did not drive oxen through the peasant meadow, and will swear an oath everywhere that they did not step on the furrow. Every castle will welcome me when I put on those outfits that both my mother and my good sister gave me yesterday. I'm sure I won't look like a man in them. They recognize the knight in me, Although it happened that on the threshing floor I threshed my grain, But that was a long time ago. Looking at these two legs, shod with importance in boots made of Corduan leather, the nobles will not think that I fenced the palisade and that a man gave birth to me. And if we can take the stallion, then I’m not Ruprecht’s son-in-law: I don’t need my neighbor’s daughter. I need fame, not a wife. Son, be silent for a moment, accept good instruction. He who listens to his elders will rightfully be able to find honor and glory. And whoever despises the father of science prepares shame and torment for himself and reaps only harm, not listening to good advice. You imagine in your rich dress to equal the innate nobility, but this will not work for you. Everyone will just hate you. If trouble happens, if there is a flaw, none of the peasants, of course, will show you sympathy, but will only be happy about the misfortune. When the original master climbs into the peasant's barn, takes away the cattle, robs the house, he will come out right before the court. And if you take even a crumb, Now they will create a fuss, You won’t be able to get your feet out of there, And you yourself will remain as collateral. They won’t believe a word, You’ll pay for every lamb. Realize that even if they kill you after catching you stealing, they will be a little sad and decide that they have served God. Leave all these lies, my son, and live with your wife in a legal marriage. -Let everything that is destined happen, I'm going. It's decided. I must know the highest circle. Teach others to tinker with the plow and wipe away salty sweat. I will attack the local cattle and drive the prey from the meadow. Let the bulls roar with fright, starting at a gallop, as if from fire. All I need is a horse - to race recklessly with friends, I only yearn for the fact that until now I haven’t driven the men, grabbing them by the cowlick. I don’t want to endure poverty, raise a shearling for three years, nurture a heifer for three years, not much from that income. Rather than honestly be in poverty with you, I’d rather go into robbery, I’ll have clothes made of fur, We winter cold not a hindrance, - We will always find a table, and shelter, and a fat herd of bulls. Hurry, father, to the merchant, Don’t hesitate for a minute, Buy me a horse quickly, I don’t want to waste a day.
Peasants | Life of peasants
Housing
Over most of Europe, the peasant house was built of wood, but in the south, where this material was in short supply, it was more often made of stone. Wooden houses were covered with straw, which was suitable for feeding livestock in hungry winters. The open hearth slowly gave way to a stove. Small windows were closed with wooden shutters and covered with bubble wrap or leather. Glass was used only in churches, among lords and the city's rich. Instead of a chimney, there was often a hole in the ceiling, and when they burned, smoke filled the room. During the cold season, often both the peasant’s family and his livestock lived nearby - in the same hut.
People in villages usually got married early: the marriageable age for girls was often considered 12 years old, for boys 14 - 15 years old. Many children were born, but even in wealthy families, not all lived to adulthood.
Nutrition
Crop failures and famine were constant companions of the Middle Ages. Therefore, the food of the medieval peasant was never plentiful. The usual was two meals a day - morning and evening. The daily food of the majority of the population was bread, cereals, boiled vegetables, grain and vegetable stews, seasoned with herbs, onions and garlic. In southern Europe they added it to food olive oil, in the north - beef or pork fat, butter was known, but was used very rarely. People ate little meat, beef was very rare, pork was consumed more often, and in mountainous areas - lamb. Almost everywhere, but only on holidays, they ate chickens, ducks, and geese. They ate quite a lot of fish, because 166 days a year were during fasting, when eating meat was prohibited. Of the sweets, only honey was known; sugar appeared from the East in the 18th century, but was extremely expensive and was considered not only a rare delicacy, but also a medicine.
In medieval Europe they drank a lot, in the south - wine, in the north - mash until the 12th century, and later, after the use of the plant was discovered. hops - beer. It should be canceled that heavy drinking of alcohol was explained not only by commitment to drunkenness, but also by necessity: ordinary water, which was not boiled, because pathogenic microbes were not known, caused stomach diseases. Alcohol became known around the year 1000, but was used only in medicine.
Constant malnutrition was compensated for by super-abundant treats on holidays, and the nature of the food practically did not change; they cooked the same thing as every day (maybe they just gave more meat), but in larger quantities.
Cloth
Until the XII - XIII centuries. the clothes were surprisingly monotonous. The clothes of commoners and nobles differed slightly in appearance and cut, even, to a certain extent, men's and women's, excluding, of course, the quality of fabrics and the presence of decorations. Both men and women wore long, knee-length shirts (such a shirt was called a kameez), and short pants - bra. Over the kameez, another shirt made of thicker fabric was worn, which went down slightly below the waist - blio. In the XII - XIII centuries. spread long stockings- highways. Men's blio sleeves were longer and wider than women's. Outerwear was a cloak - a simple piece of fabric draped over the shoulders, or penula - a cloak with a hood. Both men and women wore pointed ankle boots on their feet; curiously, they were not divided into left and right.
In the 12th century. changes in clothing are planned. Differences also appear in the clothing of the nobility, townspeople and peasants, which indicates the isolation of classes. The distinction is indicated primarily by color. The common people had to wear clothes of soft colors - gray, black, brown. The female blio reaches the floor and Bottom part it, from the hips, is made from a different fabric, i.e. something like a skirt appears. These skirts of peasant women, unlike those of the nobility, were never particularly long.
Throughout the Middle Ages, peasant clothing remained homespun.
In the 13th century The blio is replaced by tight-fitting woolen outerwear - cotta. With the spread of earthly values, interest in the beauty of the body appears, and new clothes emphasizes the figure, especially women. Then, in the 13th century. Lace spreads, including among peasants.
Tools
Agricultural tools were common among peasants. These are, first of all, a plow and a plow. The plow was more often used on light soils of the forest belt, where developed root system did not allow deep turning of the soil. The plow with an iron share, on the contrary, was used on heavy soils with a relatively smooth topography. Besides, in peasant farm were used various types harrows, sickles for reaping grain and flails for threshing it. These tools remained virtually unchanged throughout the medieval era, as noble lords sought to receive income from peasant farms with minimal costs, and the peasants simply did not have the money to improve them.
The lands of the feudal lords were divided among the peasants. Not just most of medieval feudal estate - seigneury consisted of the direct economic use of the landowner (lord's land), and most of it was cultivated by peasants as independent owners. Significant features distinguished the legal status of the peasant allotment. The peasants hereditarily owned plots of the master's land, used it as independent owners under the condition of paying quitrents and performing corvée work, and were subject to the court and government of the master.
Peasants could either be personally free farmers or dependent in varying degrees and forms on landowners. The peasants were divided into three main groups (categories) according to what duties they bore in favor of the feudal lords: personally dependent peasants, land dependent peasants and free peasants - owners (allodists).
Medieval jurists distinguished three types of subordination of the peasant to the lord. These were personal, land and judicial dependence. The legal signs of personal dependence were the following. A personally dependent peasant did not have the right to inherit his allotment to anyone without paying his lord a special contribution, consisting of either part of the property - the best head of cattle, the wedding decoration and dress of his wife, or, in later times, from a certain amounts of money. He paid a “universal” tax. Marriages between persons dependent on different lords were prohibited. A special fee was required for permission for such a marriage. All other duties were not precisely defined and were collected at the will of the lord, when, where and as much as he pleased.
Land dependence stemmed from the fact that the peasant plot belonged to the lord. The land of the peasant allotment legally constituted part of the estate, due to which the peasant had to bear various duties - in the form of corvee or quitrents, usually in proportion to the size of the allotment and in accordance with customary law.
The judicial dependence of the peasants stemmed from the immunity rights of the lord. The charter of immunity gave the feudal lord the right to conduct justice on the territory specified in it, which was larger than the estate. This dependence was expressed in the fact that the population had to be tried in the court of the immuneist. All judicial fines, as well as those duties that previously went to the king or his representatives for the exercise of judicial and administrative functions, no longer went in favor of the king, but in favor of the lord. As a representative of administrative power, the lord kept order in public places, for example, in markets, big roads and in accordance with this, he collected market, road, ferry, bridge and other duties and had the right to income from the so-called banalities - feudal monopolies.
The most common were three types of banalities - furnace, mill and grape press banalities. Persons who were judicially dependent on the lord were obliged to bake bread only in an oven specifically designated by the lord or belonging to him, were obliged to press wine only under the lord’s press and grind grain only at his mill.
Associated with the judicial-administrative rights of the lord was the right of the lord to demand corvee for repairing roads, bridges, etc. The feudal lords transferred the corvee for repairing roads to their fields and turned public service into ordinary lord's corvee.
Land ownership personally dependent peasants
Personally dependent peasants - serfs in France, villans in England and grundgolds in Germany were in personal, land and judicial dependence on their master. They only had the right to own and use a plot of land, the owner of which was recognized as the owner of this peasant. For the ownership and use of an allotment, personally dependent peasants had to pay the lord an annual rent in kind in the form of domestic animals, crops, grain bread, food, or cash, the amount of which was established by the lord.
Corvée was also established by the master at his own discretion. Corvee is compulsory free labor in the feudal economy, since workers were needed to cultivate the land of the feudal lord - plowing, sowing, grazing, reaping, threshing. This was the cultivation of the master's land by peasants under the supervision of a clerk. Corvée work included the duty of peasants to supply carts and transport the master's goods from one estate to another or to the city for sale. The most characteristic sign of personal dependence was the uncertainty of corvee duties and the possibility of their arbitrary increase by the feudal lord.
Personally dependent peasants were deprived of the right to leave the land on which they worked without the consent of the master. In the event of the escape of a personally dependent peasant, the feudal lord had the right to pursue and bring him back. This right was limited by limitation, which in many cases was determined to be one year and one day. Personally dependent peasants are sometimes called serfs, which is inaccurate. Unlike personally dependent peasants, serfs were subject to an indefinite search by the state authorities and return to their previous owners. Over time, personally dependent peasants acquired the right to leave the feudal lord, but, having warned him about this in advance, they left their plot and movable property in his favor.
Personally dependent peasants could be sold or given away along with their families, but they could not be killed or mutilated. They were subject to the judgment of their master, who had the right to corporally punish them. They were deprived of the opportunity to seek protection against their master in the royal court.
A personally dependent peasant could not make any transactions with the land plot without the consent of the master. After the death of a personally dependent peasant, all his property could be taken by the master, that is, there was the so-called right of a dead hand. The peasant's hand was dead to transfer the inheritance to his son, but the feudal lord's hand turned out to be alive. The heirs of the deceased could get rid of this situation only through ransom, transferring to their master their best property, usually the best head of cattle. To marry, personally dependent peasants required the master's permission, so they paid a wedding fee to the lord.
The personally dependent peasant was the owner of movable things - draft animals, tools, feed for livestock, seeds for sowing, products of labor, and could alienate them, even if sometimes this required the permission of his master. Such permission was only a restriction of the right of disposal of a personally dependent peasant with his movable property, but not a complete denial of this right to him. The “dead hand right” was also a limitation on property rights.
Thus, personally dependent peasants were free persons, subjects of law, but their legal capacity and capacity were limited. This was due to the power of the master over the personality of the farmer.
The role of peasants in medieval society. Peasants made up the majority of the population of medieval Europe. They played very important role in society: they fed kings, feudal lords, priests and monks, and townspeople. Their hands created the wealth of individual lords and entire states, which were then calculated not in money, but in the amount of cultivated land and harvested crops. The more food the peasants produced, the richer their owner was.
The peasantry, although they made up the majority of society, occupied the lowest level in it. Medieval writers, comparing the structure of society with a house, assigned peasants the role of the floor on which everyone walks, but which forms the basis of the building.
Free and dependent peasants. Land in the Middle Ages was the property of kings, secular feudal lords and the church. The peasants had no land. Those who were descendants of slaves and colons never had it, while others sold their land or transferred it to feudal lords. This way they got rid of taxes and military service. The feudal lords did not cultivate their own lands, but gave them to the peasants for use. For this they had to bear duties in favor of the feudal lord, that is forced duties in favor of the feudal lord. The main duties were corvee And quitrent.
| Corvee |
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| quitrent |
Corvée was work on the feudal lord's farm: cultivating the lord's land, building bridges, repairing roads and other work. The quitrent was paid in products produced on the peasant farm: it could be vegetables from the garden, poultry, eggs, livestock offspring or home craft products (yarn, linen).
All peasants were divided into free And dependent . A free peasant paid only a small rent for the use of land - most often a few bags of grain. He could always leave the estate. Such peasants were only land dependent on their owner, remaining personally free.Material from the site
The position of dependent peasants, who were often called servami. They were personally dependent on the feudal lord. The serfs could leave their master only with his permission or for a ransom. The feudal lord had the right to punish them and force them to do any work. The main duty of personally dependent peasants was corvée, in which they worked three to four days a week. Not only the land, but also the property of the serf was considered the property of the master. If he wanted to sell a cow or sheep, he had to first pay money for it. A serf could even marry only with the consent of the lord and by paying a certain amount.
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Compare the situation of the medieval dependent peasant
Dependent peasant in medieval Europe 4 letters
Dependent peasants of the Middle Ages
Dependent peasant in medieval Europe, what kind of farm he had
Peasantry of the Middle Ages
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