The lord's land was called his "demesne," or domain which he required to support himself and his retinue. The rest of Manor land was allotted to the peasants, who were his tenants. The land was split up into a large number of small strips (usually about half an acre each). Peasants also had rights to use the common land. and was allowed to take wood from the forest for fuel and building purposes. A peasant's holding, which also included a house in the village, thus formed a self-sufficient unit.
Power and prestige of the noble class
based
on land (the fief)
feudalism was a political arrangement that provided for
the
performance of these functions of government by a class of landed
nobles.
Nobles bound by an interdependent system of personal ties; the heart
was
the feudal contract, which established relations between lord and
vassal,
the most important of which were protection and service.
knights were to
be Christian, brave, faithful, generous, and protective of women and
the
poor; evidence of this code may be found the French epic The Song of Roland and the Spanish El
Cid.
which supported the lord, his family, and his
soldiers.
Landed estate organized as manors; each a self-supporting economic
unit;
the lord provided the land and protection; serfs provided the labor.
Serfs (=landless peasants) bound to the soil; could not be
bought
or sold individually; they passed new owners when land changed
hands.
Medieval farming methods primitive; yield was low
Scroll about one-third of the way down, and you can find a great diagram of how the feudal system works. There is also a map of what a fief would look like. I highlighted where they have some information on feudalism and manorialism.
Serfs could buy their
freedom from the manor, but where
would they get the money?
If a new lord
took over the
manor, he would need the serfs for labor.
Peasants
were free to leave if they wished
Peasants worked the land and made
the goods in exchange for protection.
Other than that,
their life was just like a serf's life.
A few peasants escaped the
hard work on the farm by joining the church. But most lived and died
on the manor where they were born.
Everyone had to pay taxes to the lord
To pay the crop tax, some crops went
to the lord, and some they kept. To pay the bread tax, some bread they
made went to the lord, and some they kept. To pay the coat tax, some
of the warm coats they made went to the lord, and some they kept.
Everything was paid in barter. Coinage or money did not exist on the
manor.
People believed that the only
way to get to Heaven was to follow the teachings in the Bible.
The
common people could not read or write.
The priest told them who
they must marry and when. You had to do everything the priest said if
you wanted to get to heaven.
peasants and serfs were mostly content with their lot.
work kept
everyone on the manor fed and comfortable, including themselves.
They were not slaves. These people
could not be bought and sold. But they could not leave the manor without
permission.