who do serfs take orders from

What did the serfs do for the Lord of the Lord?

The serfs had to use the manor’s mill in order to grind their grain, and the manor’s oven to bake their bread and for both those services the Lord would demand a portion as a fee. During Easter, the serfs would offer the Lord an additional dozen eggs, and during Christmas the serf would offer a goose to his lord.

What is a serf?

Serfs were part of the feudal system that existed in the European Dark Ages, circa 500-1450 CE. After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE, Europe was a dark and scary place. Life was unpredictable, attacks from outsiders common, and nothing was certain. In fact, many historians refer to this era as the Dark Ages.

How were the owners compensated for the freed serfs?

The owners were compensated through taxes on the freed serfs. State serfs were emancipated in 1866. The word serf originated from the Middle French serf and was derived from the Latin servus ("slave"). In Late Antiquity and most of the Middle Ages, what are now called serfs were usually designated in Latin as coloni.

Can a serf leave the estate they belong to?

A serf is tied to the land; so if an estate changes hands the serf’s master (very rarely mistress) changes too. But a serf cannot leave the estate they belong too without the express permission of the landowner.

Who did peasants take orders from?

The peasants were at the bottom of the Feudal System and had to obey their local lord to whom they had sworn an oath of obedience on the Bible. Because they had sworn an oath to their lord, it was taken for granted that they had sworn a similar oath to the duke, earl or baron who owned that lord's property.

Who do the serfs work for?

Lords owned the serfs who lived on their lands. In exchange for a place to live, serfs worked the land to grow crops for themselves and their lord. In addition, serfs were expected to work the farms for the lord and pay rent. Everyday peasants could be educated and marry if they could afford it.

How did serfs pay their lords?

Serfs usually paid their lord by giving food and working without pay. Usually, serfs spent five or six days a week working for their lord. On these days, the lord would give his serfs very good food. However, serfs had to do the lord's work before they could do their own work.

Could serfs be bought and sold by the lord?

Unlike slaves, serfs could not be bought, sold, or traded individually though they could, depending on the area, be sold together with land.

What did male serfs do?

The most important task of serfs was to work on the demesne land of their lord for two or three days each week, and more during busy periods like harvest time. All of the food produced from that land went to the lord.

What is above a serf?

Above serfs were peasants, who shared similar responsibilities and reported to the vassal. The main difference between serf and peasant is that peasants were free to move from fief to fief or manor to manor to look for work.

Could a serf leave?

Chief among these was the serf's lack of freedom of movement; he could not permanently leave his holding or his village without his lord's permission. Neither could the serf marry, change his occupation, or dispose of his property without his lord's permission.

Is a serf higher than a peasant?

Serfs were peasants who worked lords' land and paid them certain dues in return for the use of land. The main difference between serf and peasant is that peasants owned their own land whereas serfs did not. Serfs and peasants formed the lowest layer of the feudal system.

How many hours did a serf work?

One day's work was considered half a day, and if a serf worked an entire day, this was counted as two "days-works."[2] Detailed accounts of artisans' workdays are available. Knoop and jones' figures for the fourteenth century work out to a yearly average of 9 hours (exclusive of meals and breaktimes)[3].

Is serfdom the same as slavery?

Serfdom was, after slavery, the most common kind of forced labor; it appeared several centuries after slavery was introduced. Whereas slaves are considered forms of property owned by other people, serfs are bound to the land they occupy from one generation to another.

What did the lords give the serfs?

Compulsory, Regimented Labor The villeins, or serfs, who were occupants on the land, were given the right to cultivate some of the Lord's land for their own benefit in exchange for their labor in tilling the remainder of the land for the benefit of the Feudal Lord.

How were serfs legally bound to the land?

England and its allies supported the Pope of Rome. The great schism destroyed the church. Serfs, peasants legally bound to the land, provided with labor services, pay rent and be subject to the lord's control.

Are serfs and peasants the same thing?

The common people were classified as serfs and peasants. Peasants were poor rural farm workers. Serfs were peasants who worked lords' land and paid them certain dues in return for the use of land. The main difference between serf and peasant is that peasants owned their own land whereas serfs did not.

What's the difference between serfdom and slavery?

Serfdom was, after slavery, the most common kind of forced labor; it appeared several centuries after slavery was introduced. Whereas slaves are considered forms of property owned by other people, serfs are bound to the land they occupy from one generation to another.

Who are called as serfs?

A serf is a person who is forced to work on a plot of land, especially during the medieval period when Europe practiced feudalism, when a few lords owned all the land and everyone else had to toil on it.

What did it mean to be a serf?

Definition of serf : a member of a servile feudal class bound to the land and subject to the will of its owner.

What is an example of serfdom?

An example of serfdom would be a peasant of lower rank whose skills were bought with a plot of land. The serf may own land or rent from the landown...

Is serfdom a form of slavery?

Since only a serf's laboring skills were bought, they were not considered slaves. There were limitations to a serfs freedom outlined by the landown...

What is a serf in the feudal system?

In the feudal system, a serf was a lower ranking peasant. This was by far the biggest population on the feudal hierarchy. Serfs were typically poor...

What is the difference between a peasant and a serf?

The difference between a peasant and a serf was freedom. Peasants were free to roam from manor to manor to find work. Serfs were bound to the land...

What does serfdom mean?

Serfdom was when a farmer was bound to a piece of land or property owned by their lord. Serfs were essentially tenants of the land and did not have...

What did the serfdom do?

Serfdom created a system for hierarchical control over labor. Landowners and noble lords could purchase the laboring skills of a serf and tie the s...

What were the jobs of serfs?

Serfs were mainly farmers but also served as blacksmiths, bakers, and other semi-skilled positions. In addition to their bound servitude, they also had to pay heavy taxes to the lords who supervised them, called tallages, and give part of their crop to the manor as a whole. With no prospects for education or advancement on the social ladder, lives of serfs were similar to that of slaves. Fiercely efficient, this system existed for hundreds of years during the Middle Ages, finally coming to an end in the 15th and 16th centuries.

What Is a Serf?

A serf is a worker bound to a certain piece of land (called a fief) who is loyal to a vassal (lord or noble) above him, usually called a lord. Serfs are tied to the land they work, perform the same menial tasks each day, and receive little or no benefit for their labors. Serfs were part of the feudal system that existed in the European Dark Ages, circa 500-1450 CE.

What was the difference between a serf and a peasant?

Above serfs were peasants, who shared similar responsibilities and reported to the vassal. The main difference between serf and peasant is that peasants were free to move from fief to fief or manor to manor to look for work. Serfs, on the other hand, were like slaves except that they could not be bought or sold.

Why did the Serfs have to pay to work land?

All this was done in exchange for the ability to work land on the fief. It seems unusual that a serf would have to pay something to work land to which they were bound, yet this system existed for hundreds of years. Such a requirement was a larger part of the system of near-slavery to which they were tied. It contributed to the oppressed nature of serfs in Europe.

What was the role of serfs in the Middle Ages?

Perhaps no other role in the Middle Ages had such a bleak outlook. Later in the feudal period, serfs and peasants began to demand more rights from the monarch. The demand for this change was a key force in the movement away from, and eventual end to, feudalism. By the end of the Middle Ages, serfs had broken free from the binding servitude that plagued them for centuries to become merchants and other important members of European society.

What was the life of a serf?

Each day was spent working hard on the land they were bound to. They did not receive this land for free, though. They had to pay taxes called tallage to the lord. This tax could be actual money or, more commonly, providing services to the lord. An additional aspect of the tallage consisted of giving a part of their sowed crops to the manor .

What was the name of the workers who were bound to a piece of land called?

All right, let's take a moment or two to review. As we learned, serfs were workers who were bound to a piece of land, called a fief, during the European Middle Ages. They were unable to leave this land and had to be loyal to a vassal above them in social standing, usually called a lord or noble.

How do most chapter serfs come into the service of their chapter?

Most Chapter serfs come into the service of their Chapter by being drawn from the Chapter's homeworld population, being selected as aspirants of the Chapter but found wanting to become full-fledged Space Marines, or being born into that status as the child of prior Chapter serfs.

What is a chapter serf?

A Chapter serf is a Human bondsman or bondswoman who acts as the indentured servant of a Space Marine Chapter for life. The battle-brothers themselves are far too few to fulfill all the tasks required to keep the Chapter running at peak efficiency.

What are the three serf offices in Excoriators?

Brander-priests often become close confidents to their Astartes master, and usually immolate themselves on their master's funeral pyre when he falls in battle. Seneschal, Lictor and Absterge - These three Chapter serf offices are unique to the Excoriators Chapter.

What is a Brander Priest?

Brander-priest - A Brander-priest is a Chapter serf unique to the Salamanders Chapter. Each Salamanders Battle-Brother is assigned his own Brander-priest (ess), whose role is to brand his or her master's flesh with a red hot iron rod while reciting the sacred passages of the Promethean Cult. Brander-priests often become close confidents to their Astartes master, and usually immolate themselves on their master's funeral pyre when he falls in battle.

How do the Adeptus Astartes treat their serfs?

Amongst the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, individual treatment of Chapter serfs may vary: the Ultramarines and Salamanders treat their serfs the most fairly , as important if still mortal extensions of the Chapter, while the Imperial Fists tend to treat their serfs as if they were invisible and unimportant, while the Marines Malevolent treat them as little more than mortal slaves who are barely worthy of being in their masters' august presence.

What is a Scribellum serf?

Scribellum - Chapter serfs who assist the Librarians in writing down all the important deeds of the Chapter and its Astartes serve as a part of what is known as the Chapter's Scribellum. Part scribe and part artist, the Chapter serfs make sure the knowledge of the Chapter's past glories and tragedies remains at hand.

What is an artificer in a chapter?

Artificers - Artificers are Chapter serfs who are given basic training in the ways of the Machine-God by the Chapter's Techmarines, and perform the routine maintenance on all the equipment and wargear the Chapter uses, freeing up the Techmarines' time for the more advanced and arduous tasks.

Why did the Serfs pay a fee?

A serf was able to pay a very heavy fee in order to purchase his freedom, or occasionally he could prove extraordinary valour in battle in order to have a chance to gain Freeman status. In some cases, serfs who gained their freedom by showing their valour were also ennobled.

What did medieval serfs wear?

The medieval serf’s clothing was basic and practical. A medieval serf’s clothing or dress consisted of: 1 A blouse of cloth or skin, fastened by a leather belt round the waist 2 An overcoat or mantle of thick woollen material, which fell from his shoulders to half-way down his legs 3 Shoes or large boots 4 Short, woollen trousers 5 A sheath for his knife, hanging from his belt 6 In cold weather or in rain he wore a woollen hat 7 Gloves were only worn for their practical clothing value and were padded for use in tasks such as hedging

How many acres can a serf have?

Farmland & Animals. Depending on his classification, a serf could have anything from one acre (1 to 5 acres for Bordars and Cottagers) to 30 acres (20 – 30 acres for Villeins). An acre is defined as the land that a man behind one ox can plough in a day.

What did peasants use to hang clothes?

They would have a simple wooden table and chests for storing clothes and other valuables. Hooks were used to hang clothes and equipment around the house.

What did peasants gather in the middle ages?

During late summer and early autumn peasants would gather nuts and fruits, as well as acorns, to fatten up the pigs for slaughter during winter time. During the middle ages, starvation was not an uncommon cause of death, especially during times of drought.

How many peasants were in the average household in the Middle Ages?

The average household would have numbered eight peasants. During the late middle ages the house would also have had a well and an outhouse, and also a barn.

What was in the middle of a peasant's hut?

In the middle of a peasant’s hut was a fire used for cooking and heating. However, there was no chimney – the whole of the house would have been filled with smoke, which would slowly escape from the thatched roof. This would have kept pests (such as rats) and some parasites under control to a certain extent.

How long can you sell a serf?

The buyer cannot ‘dispose’ of the serfs until 1 year and 1 day after the purchase and only with the approval of the authorities. The authorities tended not to approve because that would be deemed socially disruptive by public policy.

What is serfdom in the United States?

Serfdom was a state of slavery developed during the middle ages in Europe and in some countries, like the Czarist Russia, it lasted until almost the end of 19th century. A form of serfdom was also practiced in Colonial America that was known as indentured servitude. This was a kind contract of servitude in exchange for money or for the expensive passage from England to the 13 colonies. Although it was for a specific number of years, the servant became another commodity that could be resold to a third party. For all practical purposes, the indentured servant had no human rights. Legislation after the American Revolution and the 13th Amendment after the Civil War made illegal the imprisonment of debtors and indentured servitude in the United States. Any kind of serfdom or servitude cannot be in any way beneficial to the servant like slavery cannot bring any benefit to the slave. What benefit you would have if you have no human rights and you are legally treated as another merchandise. Even the so called benevolent servitude or colonialism, does not change the relationship between the master and the slave since the subordinated individual has no freedom. The mere fact that you are jailed in a golden cage does not make you free.

Why were people castrated in Arab countries?

Many common people had themselves voluntarily castrated as young boys in the hope that it would lead to a good career in the administration of a powerful ruler. Eunuchs were more trusted in government because they did not have any sons that they wanted to promote…and their total devotion was to the welfare of their employer. Slaves were routinely castrated because they did not want ethnically or religiously different people to increase within the nation or tribe. In other slave-owning cultures over the past 4,000 years slaves (or their descendants) could eventually rise to become fully-accepted citizens. This was something that the Arabs did not want.

What is a peasant farmer?

A peasant is a small, traditionally largely self-sufficient, farmer.

Can slaves be sold?

As chattel, the slave can be sold, bought, gifted, willed to beneficiaries by the owner, inherited by the owner’s successors, assigned, thrown away (freed?), and even killed (doctrinally speaking, not necessarily in reality) — all at the discretion (whim) of the owner.

Can a serf be sold off?

As the serf wasn’t property but a kind of tenant, he couldn ’t be sold off. Indeed, no serf may be independently sold off or bought otherwise than by the sale and purchase of the land he lived on. Think of the serf as part of the “fixtures and furnishings” of the property. As such, if a fence on the land was broken, it had to be repaired; if a serf of the land was likewise in need of ‘repair,’ the master was responsible for it.

Overview

Dependency and the lower orders

History

Etymology

See also

Further reading

External links