THE feudal society was organized in estates (there was no social mobility, social position was established from birth onwards); and the social elite was formed by the first layer, the clergy. The second estate consisted of the nobility and the lower layer of society was formed mainly by the peasants, who worked hard like servants in the lands of feudal lords.
In the large landholding of the feudal lord there were the castle, the church, the peasant villages, the great woods, the cultivated lands and the pasture lands. Cultivated land was divided into two halves, the first was called gentlemanly (the agricultural production of this land belonged to the master), the second half was composed by the meek servile (Part of the agricultural production belonged to the master).
The serfs used the land for the practice of agriculture, but all the land belonged to the owners, the feudal lords. The work in the fields was carried out by the servants and by the villains (free workers); there were hardly any slaves, as the Church condemned slavery.
The serfs had obligations to the feudal lords, they had to pay taxes, such as the corvee (they worked without pay for a few days a week in exchange for protection) and the banalities (fees paid by serfs to use the mill, kiln, barn, among others, which were the property of the feudal lord).
The living condition of serfs in feudalism was precarious and difficult. They almost always lived in humble houses (poor hygiene) and lived constantly under threat of hunger, as agriculture depended on climatic factors and precarious agricultural tools. Only a small part of the production of the meek servile was destined for the serfs.
The serfdom predominant in feudal society was based on the relations between peasants (servants) and landowners (feudal lord). The main characteristics of serfdom were: serfs could not leave the meek serf without the master's authorization (without freedom) and serf taxes were levied.
In the 14th century, the terrible living conditions in which the serfs found themselves, and the increase in taxes due to the Black Death and the The Hundred Years War (between France and England), led us to successive revolts against serfdom, demanding the end of bondage.
By Leandro Carvalho
Master in History
