Understanding Feudalism

The social structure of the time is organized around the system of Feudalism. Feudalism in practice means that the country is not governed by the king but by individual lords who administer their own estates, dispense their own justice, mint their own money, levy taxes and tolls, and demand military service from vassals. Usually the lords can field greater armies than the king. In theory the king is the chief feudal lord, but in reality the individual lords are supreme in their own territory. Kings are little more than figurehead rulers, their power is established through the church which anoints them.

Feudal Ties
Feudalism is built upon a relationship of obligation and mutual service between vassals and lords. A vassal holds his land, or fief, as a grant from a lord. When a vassal dies, his heir is required to publicly renew his oath of faithfulness (fealty) to his lord.This public oath is called "homage".

Obligations
The vassal is required to attend the lord at his court, help administer justice, and contribute money if needed. He must answer a summons to battle, bringing an agreed upon number of fighting men. As well, he must feed and house the lord and his company when they travel across his land.

On the lord's side, he is obliged to protect the vassal, give military aid, and guard his children. If a daughter inherits, the lord arranges her marriage. If there were no heirs the lord disposes of the fief as he chooses.

Manors
Manors, not villages, are the economic and social units of life. A manor consists of a manor house, one or more villages, and up to several thousand acres of land divided into meadow, pasture, forest, and cultivated fields. The fields are further divided into strips; 1/3 for the lord of the manor, less for the church, and the remainder for the peasants and serfs. This land is shared out so that each person had an equal share of good and poor. At least half the work week is spent on the land belonging to the lord and the church. Time might also be spent doing maintenance and on special projects such as clearing land, cutting firewood, and building roads and bridges. The rest of the time the villagers are free to work their own land.

Peasant's Life
Villages consist of from 10-60 families living in rough huts on dirt floors, with no chimneys or windows. Often, one end of the hut is given over to storing livestock. Furnishings are sparse; three legged stools, a trestle table, beds on the floor softened with straw or leaves. The peasant diet is mainly porridge, cheese, black bread, and a few home-grown vegetables.

Peasants have a hard life, but they do not work on Sundays or on the frequent saints' days, and they can go to nearby fairs and markets. The lot of serfs is much harsher.

Serf's Life
Although not technically a slave, a serf is bound to a lord for life. He can own no property and needs the lord's permission to marry. Under no circumstance can a serf leave the land without the lord's permission unless he chooses to run away. If he runs to a town and manages to stay there for a year and a day, he is a free man. However, the serf does have rights. He can not be displaced if the manor changes hands. He can not be required to fight, and he is entitled to the protection of the lord.